The Day Before America

History and prehistory come alive in this extraordinary account of America as it was before it got its name. William H. MacLeish paints a heartrending portrait of the lush, miraculous New World on the eve of the Encounter - the arrival of the first Europeans, after which nothing was the same. Drawing on the work of anthropologists, geologists, and other academic experts, MacLeish roams over 18,000 years of the continent's history, exploring the roles of climate and human activity in preparing the world that we have inherited. The Day Before America is studded with fascinating information on the awesome transformations of the ice age (and the inevitability of its return), on the ecological effects of hunting and early agriculture, and on the astonishing variety of "native" civilizations. The book is informed by a deep commitment to the wonder and sanctity of the natural world, and at bottom, it is a statement of belief in an unsentimental environmentalism -- an effort to see our world i