This landmark bookthe first environmental history of Chinais based on a wealth of literary, political aesthetic, scientific, and religious sources that reveal the views of the Chinese people toward their environment and landscape. "Masterly and engaging. . . . Essential for those who want to understand the long sweep of Chinese history, and it will enhance the perspective of those who think they already understand it. A scholarly tour de force."J. R. McNeill,Wilson Quarterly (Note to DMB: check print reviewalso in Science?) "Elvin combines an illuminating account of the 4,000 year-long collision of humans and nature with delightful tidbits about everything under the Chinese sun. . . . A magisterial work."Nicholas D. Kristof,Scientific American