The Control of Nature.

MCPHEE, John.

Item Number: 62006

New York: Farrar Strauss Giroux, 1989.

First edition of this “silky narrative, with keen detail and sharp dialogue” (The Wall Street Journal). Octavo, original cloth. Signed by John McPhee on the title page. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Cynthia Krupat.

The Control of Nature is John McPhee's bestselling account of places where people are locked in combat with nature. Taking us deep into these contested territories, McPhee details the strageties and tactics through which people attempt to control nature. Most striking is his depiction of the main contestants: nature in complex and awesome guises, and those attempting to wrest control from her - stubborn, sometimes foolhardy, more often ingenious, and always arresting characters. “Some of his passages left me gasping for breath…This book gave me more pure enjoyment than anything I've read in a long time" (Christopher Shaw, The Washington Post Book World).