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Donahue describes in precise detail—using among other tools an innovative historical geographical information system (GIS) method—how land was settled and how mixed husbandry was developed in Concord. By reconstructing several farm neighborhoods and following them through many generations, he reveals the care with which farmers managed the land, soil, and water. He concludes that ecological degradation came to Concord only later, when nineteenth-century economic and social forces undercut the environmental balance that earlier colonial farmers had nurtured.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50304686489873,"sku":"CIN0300123698G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50575850995985,"sku":"CIN0300123698VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0300123698.jpg?v=1750974433"},{"product_id":"reclaiming-the-commons-book-brian-donahue-9780300076738","title":"Reclaiming the Commons","description":"An account of a community working to combat suburban sprawl, to protect a large part of the landscape as common land, and to enjoy the land productively in an ecologically sustainable way. It urges suburban environmentalists to go beyond preserving space to actively engage people.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50316457345297,"sku":"CIN0300076738G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0300076738.jpg?v=1751102033"},{"product_id":"great-meadow-book-brian-donahue-9780300097511","title":"The Great Meadow","description":"The farmers of colonial New England have been widely accused of farming extensively, neglecting manure, wearing out their land, and moving on. But did they? And if so, when and why? Brian Donahue offers an innovative, accessible, and authoritative history of the early farming practices of Concord, Massachusetts, and challenges the long-standing notion that colonial husbandry degraded the land. In fact, he argues, the Concord community of farmers achieved a remarkably successful and sustainable system of local production. Donahue describes in precise detail - using among other tools an innovative historical geographical information system (GIS) method - how land was settled and how mixed husbandry was developed in Concord. By reconstructing several farm neighbourhoods and following them through many generations, he reveals the care with which farmers managed the land, soil, and water. He concludes that ecological degradation came to Concord only later, when nineteenth-century economic and social forces undercut the environmental balance that earlier colonial farmers had nurtured.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50324912668945,"sku":"CIN0300097514G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0300097514.jpg?v=1750812878"},{"product_id":"american-georgics-book-brian-donahue-9780300188042","title":"American Georgics","description":"A rich and evocative collection of agrarian writing from the past two centuries, reflecting how shifting views on agriculture have shaped American society, from the first European settlers to the modern organic movement.    From Thomas Jefferson's Monticello to Michelle Obama's White House organic garden, the image of America as a nation of farmers has persisted from the beginnings of the American experiment. In this rich and evocative collection of agrarian writing from the past two centuries, writers from Hector St. Jean de Crevecoeur to Wendell Berry reveal not only the great reach and durability of the American agrarian ideal, but also the ways in which society has contested and confronted its relationship to agriculture over the course of generations.  Drawing inspiration from Virgil's agrarian epic poem, Georgics, this collection presents a complex historical portrait of the American character through its relationship to the land. From the first European settlers eager to cultivate new soil, to the Transcendentalist, utopian, and religious thinkers of the nineteenth century, American society has drawn upon the vision of a pure rural life for inspiration. Back-to-the-land movements have surged and retreated in the past centuries yet provided the agrarian roots for the environmental movement of the past forty years. Interpretative essays and a sprinkling of illustrations accompany excerpts from each of these periods of American agrarian thought, providing a framework for understanding the sweeping changes that have confronted the nation's landscape.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50348019810577,"sku":"CIN0300188048G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52682293707025,"sku":"NLS9780300188042","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0300188048.jpg?v=1750909700"},{"product_id":"slow-wood-book-brian-donahue-9780300273472","title":"Slow Wood","description":"A radical proposal for healing the relationship between humans and forests through responsible, sustainable use of local and regional wood in home building     American homes are typically made of lumber and plywood delivered by a global system of ruthless extraction, or of concrete and steel, which are even worse for the planet. Wood is often the most sustainable material for building, but we need to protect diverse forests as much as we desperately need more houses.       Brian Donahue addresses this modern conundrum by documenting his experiences building a timber frame home from the wood growing on his family farm, practicing “worst first” forestry. Through the stories of the trees he used (sugar maple, black cherry, black birch, and hemlock), and some he didn’t (white pine and red oak), the book also explores the history of Americans’ relationship with their forests.     Donahue provides a new interpretation of the connection between American houses and local woodlands. He delves into how this bond was broken by the rise of a market economy of industrial resource extraction and addresses the challenge of restoring a more enduring relationship. Ultimately, this book provides a blueprint and a stewardship plan for how to live more responsibly with the woods, offering a sustainable approach to both forestry and building centered on tightly connected ecological and social values.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51000723472657,"sku":"NIN9780300273472","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":51215691710737,"sku":"NGR9780300273472","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":52097521778961,"sku":"CIN0300273479VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":52696879300881,"sku":"CIN0300273479G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ LIKE_NEW \/ SBYB","offer_id":52941323960593,"sku":"CIN0300273479LN","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0300273479.jpg?v=1751259791"},{"product_id":"reclaiming-the-commons-book-brian-donahue-9780300089127","title":"Reclaiming the Commons","description":"A lively account of a community working to combat suburban sprawl, and how it discovers how to live responsibly on the land.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52337351590161,"sku":"NLS9780300089127","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":52770123940113,"sku":"CIN0300089120G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9780300089127.jpg?v=1758166370"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/en-gb\/collections\/author-books-by-brian-donahue.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}