Otzi the iceman could not do without wood when he was climbing his
Alpine glacier, nor could medieval cathedral-builders or today's
construction companies. From time immemorial, the skill of the
human hand has developed by working wood, so much so that we might
say that the handling of wood is a basic element in the history of
the human body. The fear of a future wood famine became a panic in
the 18th century and sparked the beginnings of modern
environmentalism.
This book traces the cultural history of wood and offers a
highly original account of the connection between the raw material
and the human beings who benefit from it. Even more, it shows that
wood can provide a key for a better understanding of history, of
the pecularities as well as the varieties of cultures, of a
co-evolution of nature and culture, and even of the rise and fall
of great powers. Beginning with Stone Age hunters, it follows the
twists and turns of the story through the Middle Ages and the
Industrial Revolution to the global society of the twenty-first
century, in which wood is undergoing a varied and unexpected
renaissance. Radkau is sceptical of claims that wood is about to
disappear, arguing that such claims are self-serving arguments
promoted by interest groups to secure cheaper access to, and
control over, wood resources. The whole forest and timber industry
often strikes the outsider as a world unto itself, a hermetically
sealed black box, but when we lift the lid on this box, as Radkau
does here, we will be surprised by what we find within.
Wide-ranging and accessible, this rich historical analysis of
one of our most cherished natural resources will find a wide
readership.
General
Imprint: |
Polity Press
|
Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
Release date: |
November 2011 |
First published: |
December 2011 |
Authors: |
J Radkau
|
Dimensions: |
232 x 160 x 38mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Hardcover
|
Pages: |
352 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-7456-4688-6 |
Categories: |
Books >
Earth & environment >
The environment >
General
|
LSN: |
0-7456-4688-3 |
Barcode: |
9780745646886 |
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