The Essential Agrarian Reader: The Future of Culture, Community, and the Land (Paperback)

~ Norman Wirzba (Editor), Barbara Kingsolver (Foreword) "The Unsettling of America was published twenty-five years ago; it is still in print and is still being read..." (more)
Key Phrases: contemporary sunlight, uneconomic growth, agrarian worldview, New Urbanists, Wendell Berry, Sierra Club (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Here is a primer on real 'homeland security'--on preserving the sources of clean air, pure water, nutritious food, caring communities, and good work. If you wish to understand what's wrong with our present way of life, and if you wish to envision a more decent, sustainable, and joyful alternative, read on." --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Description

Agrarian philosophy, a compelling worldview with advocates around the globe, encourages us to develop practices and policies that promote the sustainable health of the land, community, and culture. In this remarkable anthology are 15 essays from Wendell Berry, Vandana Shiva, Wes Jackson, Gene Logsdon, Brian Donahue, Eric Freyfogle, David Orr, and others. The Essential Agrarian Reader calls us to celebrate the gifts of the earth, through honest work and respect for the land.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Counterpoint (August 5, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593760434
• ISBN-13: 978-1593760434
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #471,538 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #71 in	Books > Science > Agricultural Sciences > Sustainable Agriculture
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an essential resource for all earth dwellers, May 12, 2007

By	David Robinson (washington, DC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This collection of writings provides a full spectrum of academic approaches to the subject of living on earth - sustainably. It identifies the consequences of choices, those that are, ultimately, unsustainable, and those that could lead to a liveable future.

The fact that my copy was eagerly borrowed by a graduate student economist will serve as an indication of its value and relevance.

2 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mixed bag, August 10, 2007

By	Lisa (Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Essential Agrarian Reader: The Future of Culture, Community, and the Land (Paperback)

I'm only about half way through but I think it's okay. Maybe a bit self-satisified. My Dad from Massachsetts, much more conservative, hated it and found it unreadable. He particularly complained about the article on growing food on the commons; it was in Weston, MA - one of the richest towns in a rich state, which lost all credibility.

12 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The agrarian ethic is essential to our survival, January 14, 2004

By	Robert L. Rose (Blooming Glen, PA, 18911-0064, Bucks County,United States)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Essential Agrarian Reader: The Future of Culture, Community, and the Land (Hardcover)

Editor Norman Wirzba's counsel that we cannot live well if we do not attend to the human and non-human "bonds of relationship" is of deep import in an age of mindless surfeit masquerading as self-realization.