Title: Great Content Makes Up For Poor Binding
Product review: Pages are dropping out of this book as I read it, but I'm loving the back and forth of contrasting theories on the influence of native peoples on the landscapes of the western United States. It seems to me that the scholarship in this book is a bit slanted toward the idea that the influences of Native Americans on the western landscape (using fire) were limited and localized. I believe this is pretty close to the truth, but I suspect that others may disagree, as it appears to be a controversial topic that engages a desire on the part of many to advocate the dignity of aboriginal cultures, even to the point of envisioning those cultures as "civilizations". For others, the mere suggestion that hard evidence might be overshadowed by any cause--however noble--is offensive.
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