Free summaries
Environmental Issues — page 5
226 public-domain environmental issues books, summarised. Page 5 of 5.
Sketches in Duneland
Earl H. (Earl Howell) Reed
This evocative collection of observations captures a vanishing world of solitude and wild beauty along the shifting sands of the Lake Michigan shoreline. It serves as both a tender portrait of coastal outcasts and a meditation on the relentless intrusion of the modern age.
Cholera and the Water Supply in the South Districts of London in 1854
John Snow
A detective story of medical science, this account traces the deadly path of a London cholera epidemic to a single, polluted water supply.
Forestry for Farmers
B. E. (Bernhard Eduard) Fernow
Cultivating a forest is not merely an exercise in patience; it is an act of sophisticated land management that transforms a neglected wood lot into a permanent, self-sustaining asset for the modern farm.
Report on the Migration of Birds in the Spring and Autumn of 1881. Third Report
J. A. (John Alexander) Harvie-Brown
This chronicle captures the rigorous, collaborative effort of Victorian naturalists to map the hidden aerial highways of the British Isles. It documents a year of migration through the eyes of the lighthouse keepers who stood watch at the edge of the sea.
Big Bend National Park: Land of Dramatic Contrasts and Scenic Grandeur
W. Ray Scott
This guide offers a vivid, mid-century portrait of Big Bend National Park, detailing the geological wonders, rugged landscapes, and historical echoes of one of America’s most remote desert frontiers.
The Mentor: The Story of Coal, vol. 6, Num. 6, Serial No. 154, May 1, 1918
Charles Fitzhugh Talman
Coal is the dark, foundational fuel of the industrial age, a substance that links the ancient, prehistoric swamp to the modern machine. It is the primary engine of labor, heat, and global conflict.
The swamp was upside down
Murray Leinster
HOOK A seasoned surveyor arrives on a failing colony planet to confront a geological catastrophe: the very ground is liquefying and sliding into the sea.
The Grand Cañon of the Colorado
John Muir
An immense, painted chasm cut deep into an Arizona plateau dwarfed the modern machinery built to reach it, revealing a primeval landscape sculpted by rain, sun, and time.
Lectures on Ventilation: Being a Course Delivered in the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia
Lewis W. Leeds
Man’s own breath is his greatest enemy. This foundational premise drives a compelling argument for the vital necessity of fresh air in all indoor spaces.
The Common Nature of Epidemics, and their relation to climate and civilization
Southwood Smith
Epidemics behave not as erratic, vengeful spirits, but as predictable natural phenomena tied to the state of our environment, our climate, and the progress of our civilization.
The Glamour of the Arctic
Arthur Conan Doyle
Far north in the freezing Greenland seas, brave men hunt massive whales amidst shifting ice, drawn by the fierce lure of oil money and polar romance.
Zion National Park, Utah (1951)
United States. National Park Service
Towering sandstone walls of vibrant red and stark white rise above a rushing river, carved over millennia into a desert sanctuary of breathtaking geological wonder.
Coral and Coral Reefs
Thomas Henry Huxley
The humble white coral, though often overlooked, performs a task of infinite geological scale, shaping the very floor of the ocean through the collective, tireless labor of countless tiny lives.
Water pollution—Wells
Irving A. (Irving Allison) Watson
The modern tap may seem a miracle of convenience, but beneath the surface of the earth lies a hidden history of contamination, sickness, and the slow, necessary awakening of public hygiene.
The Sanitary Condition of the Poor in Relation to Disease, Poverty, and Crime: With an appendix on the control and prevention of infectious diseases
Benson Baker
Neglected sanitation is a silent architect of poverty and disease. This urgent call to action maps the vital link between clean homes, fresh air, and the survival of the Victorian laboring class.
Shoshone National Forest, Wyoming
United States. Forest Service
This official guide provides a detailed look at the Shoshone National Forest, tracing its history, geography, and the intricate management required to preserve its vast wilderness.
The Geology of Calvin Coolidge State Forest
Harry W. Dodge
This guide invites visitors to look past the scenic beauty of the Vermont woods and uncover 550 million years of geological history hidden beneath their feet.
An inquiry into the propagation of contagious poisons, by the atmosphere
Somerville Scott Alison
The specter of invisible, floating contagion has long haunted the human imagination, often driving families to desert their dying loved ones in a desperate, misguided attempt to secure their own survival.
Why I Am a Vegetarian: An Address Delivered Before the Chicago Vegetarian Society
J. Howard (John Howard) Moore
The human race is like a snake—it sheds its old, restrictive skin of thought to make room for new intellectual growth. This work serves as an urgent, uncompromising call for universal compassion toward all sentient creatures.
Great Testimony against scientific cruelty
Stephen Coleridge
An impassioned assembly of Victorian moral, literary, and spiritual giants unite to condemn the cold cruelties of laboratory vivisection.
Fishes of the Wakarusa River in Kansas
James E. Deacon
This precise biological survey documents the distribution of fish species within the Wakarusa River, mapping how severe regional drought and human landscape changes reshape the aquatic life of a Kansas watershed.
The Vailan or annular theory: A synopsis of Prof. I. N. Vail's argument in support of the claim that this Earth once possessed a Saturn-like system of rings
Stephen Bowers
This synopsis argues that Earth once possessed a system of rings composed of aqueous vapor and minerals, the eventual collapse of which explains geological cataclysms and the biblical flood.
To Choke an Ocean
Jesse F. (Jesse Franklin) Bone
The unintended consequences of a diplomatic gesture spiral into a planetary crisis, forcing an alien civilization and a human representative to confront the ecological and bureaucratic fragility of interstellar relations.
Draft of a Plan for Beginning Animal Sanctuaries in Labrador
William Wood
The rugged, often-overlooked coast of the Canadian Labrador stands at a precarious crossroads, where the relentless exploitation of its natural life threatens to transform a vibrant wilderness into a desolate, barren landscape.
Burton Island State Park: Guide to the Interpretive Nature Trail and Hiking Trail
Stephen Antil
The landscape of a quiet Vermont island reveals a story of transformation, where abandoned farm fields slowly surrender to the patient, persistent reclamation of the forest.
Rodent Control Aided by Emergency Conservation Work
Stanley Paul Young
This report details the efforts of the Emergency Conservation Work (E.C.W.) program to manage rodent populations across the American West during the 1930s. It argues that large-scale extermination campaigns were essential to protect federal lands, agricultural crops, and soil integrity.
Notes on the Mammals of Gogebic and Ontonagon Counties, Michigan, 1920: Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, Number 109
Lee R. (Lee Raymond) Dice
In the summer of 1920, two field zoologists surveyed the dense woods and waterways of Michigan's Upper Peninsula to document every mammal in its native habitat.
The wilderness
Amy E. (Amy Eleanor) Mack
A small, neglected patch of land tucked away in a bustling suburb becomes a sanctuary where the ancient Australian bush reasserts its quiet, teeming life. This observant chronicle maps the cycles of a single untended garden, showing how nature finds its own way to flourish when left to its own devices.
Dirty Dustbins and Sloppy Streets: A Practical Treatise on the Scavenging and Cleansing of Cities and Towns
H. Percy (Henry Percy) Boulnois
Sanitary reform begins at the doorstep, where the humble dustbin serves as the first line of defense against urban decay and disease. This practical guide demystifies the mechanics of nineteenth-century city cleansing.
The Mammals of Washtenaw County, Michigan: Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, No. 123
Norman Asa Wood
The wilderness that once defined the Michigan landscape did not vanish overnight; it receded through the quiet, incremental labor of the settlers who reshaped the land and displaced its original inhabitants.
A Letter to the Parishioners of Fulham
R. G. (Robert George) Baker
A quiet, urgent plea from a nineteenth-century parish leader, this document exposes the lethal connection between poverty and poor housing during a terrifying cholera outbreak. It serves as both a call to action and a historical record of social reform.
Food Habits of the Thrushes of the United States
F. E. L. (Foster Ellenborough Lascelles) Beal
This is a meticulous, data-driven report detailing exactly what American thrushes consume to survive. It offers a fascinating, granular look at the intersection of avian biology and agricultural interests in the early 20th century.
Rusticus
Martin S. (Martin Shaw) Briggs
An earnest examination of how industrialization and the rise of the motor car have eroded the traditional character of rural England, offering a call to action for the preservation of its remaining beauty.
Birds Found on the Arctic Slope of Northern Alaska
James W. Bee
The treeless tundra of Alaska’s Arctic Slope provides a harsh, fleeting stage for a singular avian drama. This rigorous field report documents the survival, migration, and daily habits of dozens of bird species inhabiting this extreme frontier.