Man and Nature

Man and Nature: Or, Physical Geography as Modified by Human Action, first published in 1864, was written by American polymath scholar and diplomat George Perkins Marsh (1801-1882).

His wide array of knowledge and great natural powers of mind gave him the ability to speak and write about every topic of inquiry with the assertive authority of a genuine investigator.

[3] Marsh wrote the book in line with the view that human life and action is a transformative phenomenon, especially in relation to nature, and due to personal economic interests.

[4] The book challenges the myth of the inexhaustibility of the earth and the belief that human impact on the environment is negligible by drawing similarities to the ancient civilization of the Mediterranean.

Gifford Pinchot, first Chief of the United States Forest Service, called the work "epoch making" and Stewart Udall wrote that it was "the beginning of land wisdom in this country".