Fire has been an integral feature of our planet for
over 400 million years. It has defined human culture
from the beginning; it is something without which we
cannot survive. While among the most destructive forces
on Earth, fire displays equally tremendous powers of
cleansing and renewal. Whether hunting, foraging,
farming, herding, building towns or managing nature
reserves, fire has been at the core of most human
endeavours. With the means to make fire, as origin myths
attest, humanity diverged from the rest of creation, and
began reshaping the world for its own benefit.
Aboriginal societies relied on the control of ignition
alone; agricultural societies added control over fuel.
Over the past 200 years, however, humanity has found a
massive new world of combustibles in the form of fossil
biomass and with new combustion practices has radically
changed the world's ecological balance. Throughout
history, we have mastered the science and art of fire,
but there have been many culturally defining fire
disasters going back to antiquity. In Fire Stephen J.
Pyne offers a succinct survey of fire's long coevolution
with humanity. It examines fire's influence on
landscapes, art, science and, in recent times, climate.
Fire is lavishly illustrated with images rarely
reproduced or unseen in the context of fire. It will
appeal to general readers curious to understand fire
beyond what is seen in the media, and to fire
specialists looking for a broadly cultural explanation
behind their discipline.
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