The Early American Wilderness: As the Explorers Saw It

Lawrence ( A Social History of America ) here vividly recreates the New World from its early explorations through the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1804-1806. Using explorers' journals and other writings, the author sketches portraits of de Soto, Coronado, La Salle et al. against a landscape of pristine forests, unsubdivided deserts and unmined mountains, peopled by Native Americans and teeming with wild plants and animals. Comprehensive and sobering, with a sometimes overwhelming mass of detail, Lawrence's message rings clear: humans must stop their destructive course and establish a better balance between their needs and those of nature. Illustrations not seen by PW . (July)