Fragile Dominion: Complexity and the Commons

Levin, Simon

ISBN 10: 0738201111 / ISBN 13: 9780738201115

Published by Helix Books/Perseus Books, 1999

About this Item

(1st ptg., 1st edition) Large, heavy book, blue spine, red boards, very bright gilt lettering on spine, 250 pages. On title page just below printed name in thin felt-tip pen: "Simon Levin. November 12, 1999." DJ glossy, colorfully designed and illustrated in red and black, praise on back from Paul R. Ehrlich and others. DJ has tiny crease along bottom front edge. Near Fine DJ/Very Fine book.

Seller Inventory # 46997

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Fragile Dominion: Complexity and the Commons
• Publisher: Helix Books/Perseus Books
• Publication Date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0738201111
• ISBN 13: 9780738201115
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Ptg.
• Condition: Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)
• Seller catalogs:
  • Science
  • Autographed

About this title

Synopsis

We all know that our planet is losing its biological diversity at an alarming rate, with frightening implications for our future. But when does an ecosystem hit the breaking point? In this important book, Princeton biologist Simon Levin offers general readers the first look at how the new science of complexity can help to solve our looming ecological crisis. Levin argues that our biosphere is the classic embodiment of what scientists call complex adaptive systems. By exploring how such systems work, we can determine how they might fail: How much loss can an ecosystem bear before it starts to collapse? How resilient are these systems? Do they in fact hover at the edge of chaos? A deeply original work on one of the most pressing issues of our time, Fragile Dominion is a powerful appeal to understand and protect the global “commons.”

About the Author

Simon Levin is Moffett Professor of Biology at Princeton University and Founding Director of the Princeton Environmental Institute. He is Chairman of the Board of the Beijer Institute and the recipient of many prestigious academic awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and the MacArthur Award of the Ecological Society of America. He is the author or editor of more than 25 books on ecology, biology, and biodiversity.