Worster writes his history of ecology from the perspective of an intellectual historian rather than historian of science.  As a results it is much broader-based than most histories of ecology.  As Worster mentions in the preface, science and particularly ecology has developed in a social/cultural milieu and as a result, it is more difficult to separate its growth and development from the concomitant growth and development of society than other disciplines, eg., physics.

Worster divides his book into six sections.  In part one he examines the 18th century roots of the discipline and constrasts the ideas of Gilbert White with those of Linnaeus.  Part two is structured around Thoreau and the ideas of the romantics.  Part three focuses on Darwin and his impacts.  In part four, Worster comes to America and uses the studies of Cowles and Clements to demonstrate the growth of a dynamic school of ecology.  He then examines the Dust Bowl in the context of their ideas.  Part five examines the ethics, economics, and ecology to seek out moral values of science.  Aldo Leopold plays an important role in this consideration.  Part six brings ecology into the 20th century which Worster and other have called the "Age of Ecology."

Worster writes very well and as a result his book is an interesting read.  He does provide a short glossary, mainly of philosophic terms, at the end of the book, but for the most part, the glossary is unneeded as the book is relatively jargon free.  Complicated concepts are explained in easy to understand terms.

The book has no illustrations.  The footnotes are arranged by chapters at the end of the volume.  Unfortunately, pertinent literature is arranged by sections rather than alphabetized as a whole.  Thus it is very difficult to move between footnote number in the chapter , to the full footnote and then to the  full references mentioned in the note.
 

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