Fire: A Brief History

Over vast expanses of time, fire and humanity have interacted to expand the domain of each, transforming the earth and what it means to be human. In this concise yet wide-ranging book, Stephen J. Pyne―named by Science magazine as “the world’s leading authority on the history of fire”―explores the surprising dynamics of fire before humans, fire and human origins, aboriginal economies of hunting and foraging, agricultural and pastoral uses of fire, fire ceremonies, fire as an idea and a technology, and industrial fire.
In this revised and expanded edition, Pyne looks to the future of fire as a constant, defining presence on Earth. A new chapter explores the importance of fire in the twenty-first century, with special attention to its role in the Anthropocene, or what he posits might equally be called the Pyrocene.

Stephen J. Pyne is professor emeritus at Arizona State University. He spent fifteen seasons with the North Rim Longshots fire crew and three seasons writing fire plans for the National Park Service. He is author of the critically acclaimed Cycle of Fire books.