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Conservation And The Gospel Of Efficiency: The Progressive Conservation Movement, 1890-1920

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Simply put: any student of environmental history needs to read this book.

Scratch that: any student of modern American history needs to read this book.

There is a reason that this book is assigned over and over again. It's a foundational work. It's an excellent work that combines politics, power, Progressive Era philosophy, and conservation. The dates extend to 1920, but you'll probably find that it really ends around the time of Taft. There's not a lot of Wilson or his Secretary of the Interior, Frank Lane. The narrative largely focuses on Gifford Pinchot and his success or failure. Of particular interest is his struggle against Richard Ballinger, the Secretary of the Interior under Taft. (Not literally under Taft--the President would have squashed him...history humor for ya).