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Seeing things whole the essential John Wesley Powell

"Seeing Things Whole presents John Wesley Powell in the full diversity of his achievements and interests, bringing together in a single volume writings ranging from his gripping account of exploring the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon to his views on the evolution of civilization, along with...

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Main Author: Powell, John Wesley, 1834-1902
Other Authors: DeBuys, William, 1949-
Format: Books Print Book
Language:English
Published: Washington, DC : Island Press/Shearwater Books, ©2001.
Subjects:
Powell, John Wesley, > 1834-1902.
Colorado River (Colo.-Mexico) > Description and travel.
West (U.S.) > Description and travel.
Grand Canyon (Ariz.) > Description and travel.
West (U.S.) > Environmental conditions.
Arid regions > West (U.S.)
Powell, John Wesley, > 1834-1902 > Philosophy.
Explorers > United States > Biography.
Geologists > United States > Biography.
Conservationists > United States > Biography.
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Summary:"Seeing Things Whole presents John Wesley Powell in the full diversity of his achievements and interests, bringing together in a single volume writings ranging from his gripping account of exploring the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon to his views on the evolution of civilization, along with the seminal writings in which he sets forth his ideas on western settlement and the allocation and management of western resources. The centerpiece of Seeing Things Whole is a series of selections from the famous 1878 Report on the Lands of the Arid Region and related magazine articles in which Powell further develops the themes of the report. In those, he recommends organizing the Arid Lands into watershed commonwealths governed by resident citizens whose interlocking interests create the checks and balances essential to wise stewardship of the land. This was the central focus of John Wesley Powell's bioregional vision, and it remains a model for governance that many westerners see as a viable solution to the resource management conflicts that continue to bedevil the region. Throughout the collection, award-winning writer and historian William deBuys brilliantly sets the historical context for Powell's work. Section introductions and extensive descriptive notes take the reader through the evolution of John Wesley Powell's interests and ideas from his role as an officer in the Civil War through his critique of Social Darwinism and landmark categorization of Indian languages, to the climatic yet ultimately futile battles he fought to win adoption of his land-use proposals. Seeing Things Whole presents the essence of the extraordinary legacy that John Wesley Powell has left to the American people, and to people everywhere who strive to reconcile the demands of society with the imperatives of the land."--From publisher's website.
Physical Description:xiii, 388 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references (pages 369-373) and index.
"Works by John Wesley Powell": pages 359-367.
ISBN:1559638729 (hardcover)
9781559638722 (hardcover)
Author Notes:Powell was born in western New York. His family later moved to Ohio and then to Wisconsin, where he began his adult life as a teacher. For about nine years, he taught and took time to study at colleges in Ohio and Illinois. When the Civil War began, he enlisted and quickly rose to the rank of major, laying out roads and designing bridges. Powell was wounded at the Battle of Shiloh and lost his right arm. Because of these events, for the remainder of his life he was referred to as Major Powell or One-arm Powell. After the war, he organized several expeditions down the Colorado River, which heretofore had not come under scientific study. It was during these trips and others that he formulated the concept of base level and antecedent streams. Although his ideas and observations are noteworthy, Powell was not a prolific writer, and his writings were not scholarly in style. Powell became the president of the U.S. Geological Survey, a position from which he lobbied congressmen and senators for funding for topographic mapping and technical reports. He was a strong proponent of developing the American West on a sound and realistic foundation. Powell died in Maine during the summer of 1902. (Bowker Author Biography)

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