THE FACE OF AMERICA

by Peter Farb ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 27, 1962

Announcement of selection as March Book-of-the-Month Club gives this the break it rates. Subtitled A Traveler's Companion to the Natural History of North America, this very readable volume by the author of many books on similar subjects (Living Earth, The Forests, etc.) tells of the ""remarkable diversity"" of the scenery on this continent and of the reasons for this diversity. ""Down the long stretches of time"", the author writes in his final paragraph, ""the only dependable thing on the continent has been change."" This change is continuing today. Erosion formed the Grand Canyon; in time erosion will level it. Mountains and seacoasts, thrust upward in past ages, are being worn down by wind and water, but in ""new areas"", such as the Pacific Coast, they are still rising, to be worn down in their turn. Rain forms rivers and lakes; rain, washing soil into these same rivers and lakes, turns them into solid land. The author tells of the vast ice-sheets of the ice-age and their effect on today's scenery; he writes of animals and plants, forests and grasslands, winds and earthquakes. With a lengthy appendix listing the National Parks, monuments, forests and outstanding beauty-spots in the different states, this excellent book will appeal to Americans interested in the ""ecology"" of their continent, and will form a unique guide-book for tourists in cars and tourists, in arm-chairs.

Pub Date: Feb. 27, 1962

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Harper & Row

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1962

Categories: NONFICTION