It is a daunting to have your work reviewed by someone as well respected in the field of environmental history as Graeme Wynn, Professor Emeritus in Geography, University of British Columbia. A relief to find it is a positive review, and an very nice indeed to read his assessment that “Catherine Knight is set fair to take her place among the country’s leading environmental historians”. Continue reading
book review
“Beyond Manapouri is an important, highly readable and hard-hitting book”
I am thrilled with Shaun Barnett’s review of “Beyond Manapouri: 50 years of environmental politics” in this month’s Backcountry Magazine, particularly given that Shaun himself is such a talented and well-respected writer of NZ non-fiction.
His review concludes:
“Knight writes succinctly, clearly and convincingly. Continue reading
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‘Beyond Manapouri’ is a must-read for all landscape architects and planners
“Reading this book will likely change your perception of the New Zealand environment. It is a must-read for all New Zealand landscape architects, planners, resource management lawyers and indeed all New Zealanders that want to achieve a better future for their children and their children’s children.”
This was the conclusion of Peter Kensington, planner and landscape architect in a recent review of Beyond Manapouri: 50 years of environmental politics in New Zealand (Canterbury University Press).
Madi Kensington, aged 11 years old, also reviewed the book, and concluded:
“This book perfectly explains how New Zealand has changed its view on the environment many times over the past 50 years. In the early days, our environment was regarded as something our government didn’t need to worry about, but as the years wore on, things started getting more serious. Knight has explained these issues with perfectly-worded descriptions and given real examples, making for convincing reading.”
To read the full review go to the Landscape Architecture Aotearoa website.
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‘Reader’ reaction to “Beyond Manapouri”
“Beyond Manapouri” has arrived, and looks amazing!
… but that’s just my opinion, so I canvassed a number of individuals in my community to gauge their reaction to the book.
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New issue of Environment & Nature NZ
A new issue of ENNZ: Environment and Nature New Zealand is now out!
Contents:
Vaughan Wood, “Editor’s Introduction”
Linda Tyler, “Illustrating the Grasses and the Transactions: John Buchanan’s Development of Technologies for Lithography in Natural History”
Julia Wells, “A Physician to the Sultan’: The East African Environment in the Writings of a New Zealand Doctor”
Vaughan Wood, “The History of the Phormium Flax Industry in Canterbury”
Paul Star, “Review: Alan F. Mark, Standing My Ground: A Voice for Nature Conservation”
Vaughan Wood, “Recent Publication: Neville Peat: Stewart Island: Rakiura National Park”
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New issue of Environment and Nature in New Zealand now out!
Just released: Environment and Nature in New Zealand Vol 9 No 2
Includes the following articles and book reviews:
Alistair McMechan, “Timber Town: A History of Port Craig”
Simon Canaval, “The Story of the Fallow Deer: An Exotic Aspect of British Globalisation” Continue reading
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Environmental history: as much about the future as about the past
I have been dipping into my recently acquired copy of Making a New Land, the revised edition of Environmental Histories of New Zealand (see: Environmental histories of New Zealand – Making a New Land). In particular, the conclusion really resonates with me:
Environmental history can and should be more than history with nature added in. Continue reading
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“Electric landscapes” and other perspectives from Environment & Nature in NZ
The latest issue of Environment and Nature in New Zealand is now out, and can be downloaded here.
This issue is replete with interesting articles and reviews:
Jo Whittle, ‘Into the backyard: Huntly Power Station and the history of environmentalism in New Zealand’.
Ian Tyrrell, ‘Review Essay: Bernhard Gissibl, Sabine Höhler and Patrick Kupper (editors), Civilizing Nature: National Parks in Global Historical Perspective’. Continue reading
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Review: Home in the Howling Wilderness
Peter Holland’s recently published Home in the Howling Wilderness is a valuable addition to the repository of literature and knowledge relating to New Zealand’s environmental history.
Holland, Professor Emeritus of Geography at the University of Otago, focuses on the first half century of organised settlement (1840 to 1890) of the lower South Island of New Zealand.
He has meticulously researched the ways in which early settlers learned about, and responded to the challenges of this unfamiliar environment, drawing on farmers’ dairies, letter books, ledgers, newspaper articles and other available sources. Continue reading
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Nature and the English Diaspora: Environment and History in the US, Canada, Australia, and NZ
A little while ago, I read a reference to the book Nature and the English Diaspora: Environment and History in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, by Thomas R. Dunlap, which was published back in 1999. I don’t have a copy of this book, and not many libraries hold it, so I was keen to find out what the reviews were at the time. However, I was not able to find one single review through my friend, the usually highly reliable Mr Google.
Luckily, I was able to ascertain that New Zealand environmental historian Paul Star had done a review of the book for the journal Australian Historical Studies in 2000, and he has kindly given me his permission to reproduce a version of it here. This review is written from the perspective of a New Zealand scholar of environmental history, so is particularly useful for Antipodeans. Continue reading
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