Harold Biswell's decades of research and field experience were a major factor in developing policies of controlled or prescribed burning, which mimics or reintroduces the natural fire cycle. This comprehensive study introduces the principles and practices of prescribed burning, which apply far beyond California, within a historical and ecological perspective. Available again, for the first time in paperback, this edition includes a new foreword by James Agee, placing Biswell's study -- and his legacy -- in the context of recent developments.