After being appointed the United States Minister Resident to the Ottoman Empire in 1849, George P. Marsh had the opportunity to travel the world and visit the sites of ancient civilizations. Troubled by what he saw, Marsh came to the conclusion that these societies were victims of self-destruction and that the same fate could be in store for the nations of today. Moved to action, Marsh would go on to publish Man and Nature: Or, Physical Geography as Modified by Human Action in 1864.
Considered to be the first major work of environmental literature, Man and Nature would help to raise global awareness about the effect of human behavior on the natural world. Second only to Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of the Species in impact and influence, the book would be instrumental to the creation of the United States National Forest and launch the conservation movement into high gear within the United States.
Professionally typeset with a beautifully designed cover, this edition of Man and Nature is a classic of environmental literature, reimagined for modern readers.
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With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.
George Perkins Marsh (1801 - 1882) was an American diplomat, philologist, author and environmentalist. Born to a prominent family in Woodstock, Vermont, Marsh enjoyed a life of educational and political opportunity. Within the first thirty years of his life, Marsh would receive degrees from two colleges, be admitted to the bar, practice law and study Philology. In his late 40s, he was appointed by President Zachary Taylor as the United States Minister Resident to the Ottoman Empire. It was during his travels as a minister resident that Marsh would be inspired to write Man and Nature: Or, Physical Geography as Modified by Human Action. Published in 1864, the work is a foundational work of ecology and environmental literature that influenced a global move towards conservation and the creation of Adirondack Park here in the United States. Over the course of his life, he would publish over half-a-dozen works on both language and the environment and become the longest-serving chief of mission in U.S. history.
