"It is a rare and happy situation when a 'useful' book is also a pleasure to read. Such is the case with this book . . . which should be required reading for every person with a serious interest in any period of Greek history. . . . The presentation of the story is engaging, leavened throughout with wit and common sense. . . . The gracefully written text is accompanied by numerous maps and superb illustrations." --American Historical Review
"This charming and humane book deserves the attention of all those interested in archaeology in the widest sense of the word and of those keen to understand man's relationship to the natural landscape." --The Times Literary Supplement

Earth Science is history, and because the earth is changing every day, earth history is being added every moment. Professor van Andel's now famous book on earth history interweaves three main themes: the evolution of the solid earth; the history of oceans and atmospheres; and the evolution of life. In the decade since this award-winning book was first published, much new information has been learned and confirmed, and Dr. van Andel draws on this wealth of knowledge to thoroughly revise and update the text. There is a new chapter on how we can improve our grasp on geological time and, mindful of the current interest in global change, new sections describe the greenhouse effect and address its possible future ramifications. In prose that is both concise and compelling and with a glossary and suggestions for further reading New Views on an Old Planet: A History of Global Change, makes earth history appealing to the general reader .

This volume presents the results of the Argolid Exploration Project, an archaeological, historical and geological survey of a part of the Peloponnese of Greece. It is a study in human ecology that analyses the dynamic relationship between human communities and their environments, both cultural and natural. Before 8,000 years ago, particularly during the last Ice Age, the most important determinant of landscape evolution was climate change. However, in the last 8,000 years, human settlement and land use have had drastic effects upon the land, resulting in deforestation and erosion. For this period a cyclical pattern of settlement growth and decline that correlates with successive episodes of catastrophic damage to the soils and environment is revealed. A shorter study of the Project intended for the general reader has already been published (Beyond the Acropolis by van Andel and Runnels, Stanford, 1987), and at least two other volumes will continue to set out the findings.