Natural High

Collects essays from the author's column in Smithsonian magazine, addressing such topics as the interconnections of nature, ecological consequences of human decisions, and the effects of pollution on astronomy

Wiley, who writes personal essays for Smithsonian magazine, here offers a lively and appealing collection of 23 of those pieces touching on science, nature and the "ecology of human beings." His vision encompasses the entire horizon, as when he reveals that, according to quantum mechanics, "the whole universe may be a single hologram: The information about all of it is encapsulated in every part of it." Conversely, Wiley also focuses on the particular, as when, after a heart attack, he learns it is less pleasant to have a catheter threaded through his arteries than to report about such new treatments as a journalist; he resultingly bids a fond and reluctant farewell to cigarettes. Casting an eye over nature can prompt Wiley to sound a warning. He discusses, for example, the need for a long-range study of the results of oil spills and notes that damage caused by the Exxon Valdez has been greater and will last longer than previously expected. However, nature stands ready to take back territory from us as well: when the National Park Service added cattails, water irises and "a postage-stamp island" to a Washington, D.C., concrete pool, wild ducks promptly moved in to raise their young.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This collection of 27 short essays from Wiley's "Phenomena, Comment, and Notes" column in Smithsonian magazine may cause the reader to reexamine many preconceived notions of the natural world. By promoting the belief that you can't separate people from nature, this infectiously optimistic work emphasizes learning to see the natural world that exists around all of us. Although the topics range widely from quantum physics to the benefits of snacking and taking naps, a common theme soon emerges: nature will survive if given a chance, requiring only that small steps be taken by many people. Clearly and concisely written, this slender work is recommended for all public and popular environmental collections.
- Tim Markus, Ev ergreen State Coll. Lib., Olympia, Wash.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Wiley's loyal following will be pleased by these cullings from his Smithsonian column, "Phenomena, Comment, and Notes." Brief (three pages at the longest) personal essays into the systemic interconnections of nature; the dire ecological consequences of our little decisions about "cattle, cars, and chainsaws"; the effect of pollution on astronomy; a hometown that has returned to nature; life on other planets; holographic properties of the universe; interstellar and intramolecular distances (a model for expositions that attempt to bring these spaces down or up to earth); and the mythic dimensions of research that employs tower cranes to study the canopy of trees--they invariably achieve the goal Wiley has pursued for a quarter century. That is, they report his attempts "to see the natural world around us" and "to regain a childlike wonder, to laugh out loud at the marvel of it all." Roland Wulbert