Islands in a Far Sea: Nature and Man in Hawaii [Hardcover]

John L. Culliney (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Culliney introduces Hawaii as a model of island evolution, describing the formation of the islands and subsequent adaptation by colonizing organisms to their various habitats, including the unusual lava-tube caves. He examines the wildlife of each habitat, emphasizing the effects of human intervention in ancient and modern times. He calls for the protection of the remaining original Hawaiian landscape. While frequently plodding in style, this work is valuable for the breadth of its coverage and its historic perspective. Illustrations not seen. Beth Clewis, Richmond , Va .
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 410 pages
• Publisher: Random House, Inc.; 1st ed edition (December 3, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871567350
• ISBN-13: 978-0871567352
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,292,451 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Islands in a Far Sea, April 1, 2000

By 

Neil A. Marshall (Notre Dame de Namur University: Chair, Department of Natural Sciences, Belmont, CA 94002) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Islands in a Far Sea: Nature and Man in Hawaii (Hardcover)

Our first introduction to the Hawaiian Islands was in the early 1980's; since then we have been conducting research on the islands of Hawai`i and Kauai. Our long association with Hawai`i prompted us to develop a course: The Natural History of Hawai`i; taught by Jamie Deneris, Ph.D., College of Marin, Kentfield, California, and myself, Neil Marshall, Ph.D. College of Notre Dame, Belmont, California. This is a course that includes island biogeography, evolutionary biology, and the geology of oceanic islands. Our text is John Culliney's book, Islands in a Far Sea. This is a wonderfully, scholarly, but eminently readable book. It captures the essence of the geologic and biologic evolution of the Hawaiian Islands, presents the key points of island biogeography, and finally the impact of human activity. A fine book; this needs to be reprinted in a new edition.