May 2005    

Back From The Land: How Young Americans Went To Nature In The 1970's, And Why They Came Back Author: Eleanor Agnew Publisher: Ivan R. Dee $27.50 Cloth (274 pages) ISBN: 1566635802 B&T         YBP Eleanor Agnew lives in Savannah, Georgia and teaches writing at Georgia Southern University. Her current standard of living is a far cry from the homestead she, her children and husband set up in rural Maine to join the back-to-the-land movement back in 1975--a fact, the author informs the reader, she is quite happy about. The author explains how the back-to-the-land movement led many counter-culture members in the 1970's to retreat from the modern society they saw as, at best, a less than real existence, and at worst, in complete disharmony with mankind's role in nature. They sought to try self-sufficiency and autonomy. Some went alone and others, like Agnew, went with her family and another couple, and still others created small communities. The individuals generally weren't so much escaping society as building a new kind of life based on direct rewards for direct labor. The communities worked on a type of social anarchy where the members would work together with no significant form of government. The philosophy behind the movement is enthralling, but often more glorified in theory than in practice. Written about by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau and depicted in television shows like Good Neighbors (a.k.a. The Good Life in the UK), the idea is as romantic as they come: get off the grid, go far away from the things of mankind, chance your arm and make it on your own. Initially, many found the lifestyle idyllic, even with the back-breaking labor it demanded. Conversely, for others, the experiment turned hazardous and even life threatening. The book's depictions of individual self-sufficiency are at least as scary as they are informative and compelling. Agnew brings to light aspects of great adventure not often thought of by wannabe Thoreaus, such as, what to do when you have a medical, dental or other emergency, far away from civilization with an unsound vehicle and no medical insurance. Eleanor Agnew does a great service in sharing such perils, as well as her own experiences of going back to the land, along with those of many others, and finding commonality within a broad range of categories. Interviews with couples, groups and family members who tried homesteading all over the nation provide an excellent overall history of how the counterculture put some of their values into practice wholeheartedly, succeeding and failing. In the end, Agnew, like others, left her spouse and this way of life behind when the dubious claims of some of the lifestyle's supportive writing and many outwardly successful homesteaders were exposed. Much of the guiding literature proved to be false in all but ideal circumstances, and many much admired and successful homesteaders had large financial support behind them. Such falsities may not have shaken the adults who took on the challenge, but many found such disillusionment the last straw when their children's future was in danger. Nevertheless, most, including Agnew, are reported to have been well satisfied to have tried self-sufficiency. Indeed, many are still at it with modifications here and there to make the long-haul of the self-sufficiency lifestyle more palatable. By Kevin French Constantine Samuel Rafinesque: A Voice in the American Wilderness Author: Leonard Warren Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky $40.00 Cloth (252 p.) ISBN: 081312316X B&T         YBP In this well-written, well-researched biography of Constantine Samuel Rafinesque, Professor Leonard Warren posthumously defends Constantine's eccentric and unpredictable genius. This is the story of a man who could not be contained by standard conventions. Since this was both a strength and a weakness, it's hard to say whether Rafinesque would have gained greater historical recognition without his eccentricities. He certainly suffered a great deal of rejection by many of his peers throughout his life, but he also made contributions in a wide range of disciplines. Professor Warren examines most facets of Rafinesque's professional life, but little was available about his private life. Constantine Samuel Rafinesque was born on October 22nd in 1793 in Constantinople. Ten years later he lost his father to yellow fever and less than 10 years after that, at the age of 19, Constantine traveled to Philadelphia. He spent the next three years exploring America, returned to Europe for roughly 10 years and then moved back to the United States for the remainder of his life. He died of gastric carcinoma on September 18th, 1840 in the city of Philadelphia, where he first began his adventure in America. Rafinesque wrote constantly and published as often as possible. His life-long passion was naturalism and specifically the naming of plant species. In fact, he was responsible for the naming of over 6,700 species of plants and also for the development of pre-Darwinian theories of gradual evolution. As a lexicographer he ignored rules of nomenclature, certain that his naming conventions were more accurate. Unfortunately for Constantine, this did not ingratiate him with his colleagues and he often found himself the recipient of a great deal of harsh criticism. Rafinesque's genius could not be contained by one discipline and he dabbled in geology, agriculture, history, philosophy, medicine, banking, archeology, linguistics, and poetry. According to Warren, Rafinesque's breadth of knowledge was fueled by his belief that "he could understand and master all that was known and unknown." Although arrogance is often a common trait among geniuses, this was likely his undoing. Rafinesque seemed blinded by his absolute faith in his abilities so much so that he never recognized his own inadequacies or shortcomings. His work was often poorly supported and frequently contained errors. This resulted in the almost complete dismissal of the significant contributions that he did make. I often find historical works to be somewhat dry and boring, but Warren's easy style combined with Rafinesque's always entertaining, if not somewhat tragic, adventures made for a quick and informative read. Constantine Samuel Rafinesque will never achieve the contemporary popularity of someone like Darwin, but this biography certainly places him soundly in the historical records. By Rachel Knapp Heirs of Archimedes: Science and the Art of War through the Age of Enlightenment Editors: Brett D. Steele and Tamera Dorland Publisher: MIT Press $55.00 (397 p.) Cloth ISBN: 026219516X B&T         YBP I was surprised to learn that both Plutarch and Polybius thought more of Archimedes as a military engineer than as a mathematical theorist. During the siege of Syracuse, Archimedes used the standard military equipment of the time but integrated it into what today would be called a "defense in depth" and foiled the Roman attempts to take the city. Most people, under the same misapprehensions as I, therefore thought it wasn't until the twentieth century and World War I that science and military engineering finally achieved a partnership that accounted for the scale of death and destruction for which this past century is known. But when late Medieval and Renaissance minds revived interest in the ancients and their science, it was Archimedes's military prowess that was noticed and, as shown in Heirs of Archimedes, it was this time period that first began the integration of science and military engineering and strategy. The editors have assembled here papers from two conferences held in 1998 and 1999 to show that there was collaboration between science and the military at an earlier age than most people realize. Several of the papers discuss the impact of gunpowder on castle design, siege weapons, manufacturing, and engineering. These chapters emphasize ideas seen in other books, including one reviewed here earlier, but which may be new to some and are summarized well in the book. Of greater interest to this reviewer were the papers which talked about the reluctance to adopt new technology and ideas, particularly among the French (which may explain much to the many readers of Alexander Dumas who have always wondered why the musketeers spent so much time on swordplay) and the various Islamic empires including the Ottoman in Turkey, Mughal in India, and Safavid in Iran. The papers on Turkish technology and the information on the adoption of firearms, or lack of it, by the several Islamic empires were very interesting and completely new to me. Also very interesting were the four papers related to naval innovations, in particular the investigation into the Mary Rose and her design which seem to directly reflect the Archimedean idea of layers of defense in the wide variety of ordnance she carried. It is this section of the book that seems to bring the most to proving the editors' thesis with its discussion of the Mary Rose, Galileo's work with the Venetian arsenal, and the mathematical research which led to improvements in navigation and the needs of navigation which in turn led to greater research. While the individual papers do tend toward narrow topics, the book as a whole rounds out the central arguments very well and is highly recommended for anyone interested in the particular topics the papers discuss or the general idea of the development of military technology, its impact and use, and the increasing involvement of science in this process. By Rob Norton Published by YBP Library Services 999 Maple St., Contoocook, NH 03229 USA v: 800.258.3774   f: 603.746.5628 w: www.ybp.com   e: academia@ybp.com All rights reserved.