The Control of Nature [B1758]

1990 PB in nice clean condition. The Control of Nature is John McPhee's bestselling account of places in the world where people have been engaged in all-out battles with nature. In Louisiana, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has declared war on the lower Mississippi River, which threatens to follow a new route to the sea and cut off New Orleans and Baton Rouge from the rest of the United States. Icelanders confront flowing red lava in an attempt to save a crucial harbor. In Los Angeles, basins are built to catch devastating debris flows from the San Gabriel Mountains. Taking us deep into these contested territories, McPhee details the strategies 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.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "Reread after more than ten years. Just as good as the first time and one of my favorite McPhee books. The man is in a class of his own. Everyone should read at least one McPhee book in their life."; "Utterly fascinating."; "If you're interested in how some of our nation's biggest construction projects were pulled off, this will blow your mind."; "Great book, love the writer's style. Best section (opinion) is on the mountains around LA, which turn into rock slides during the rain. Harrowing stories of the people and houses buried in these events, also how the flood control dams work, the local geology and the effort required to keep it all working. Well researched, a quick read that is hard to put down."; "John McPhee could make a book about shoelaces interesting. In this case he writes about Icelandic volcanoes, the control of the Mississippi, and the floods and fires of Los Angeles. How McPhee manages to be at once so entertaining and so capable of making facts interesting is a brilliant achievement."