Davis's passion for the well-being of the remaining wild places, especially the forests, of the earth is evident (understatement). I've had this on my shelf for far too long because while there are moments when the reader can marvel, there are far more where one cringes at the wasteful folly of humankind. The kernel essay for Wade's extraordinary book on Mallory and the attempts in the early 1920's to climb Everest, [Into the Silence] (surely a masterpiece of the adventure genre) is here, and tales of time spent in Amazon rain forests, the northwestern rainforest of North American and many others. Wade also waxes eloquent about the research aspects of these places and the practices and wisdom of shamans whose approach, combining the physical and spiritual (or if you prefer, body and mind) helps countless millions in real and often very practical ways. It's a tough read, but a rewarding one. **** ( )

Human ecology > Cross-cultural studies/Landscape assessment > Cross-cultural studies/Philosophy of nature > Cross-cultural studies