This is a history of the American West which recounts one of America's most impressive achievements - the creation of an Eden out of inhospitable desert. "Cadillac Desert" recounts this dramatic saga: from the earliest settlers lured by promises of paradise, to Jon Wesley Powell's advocacy of co-operative irrigation projects; from the ruthless tactics employed by Los Angeles to raid watersheds hundreds of miles away to sustain its phenomenal growth, to the federal government's entry into the water business. Reisner offers a ...
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This is a history of the American West which recounts one of America's most impressive achievements - the creation of an Eden out of inhospitable desert. "Cadillac Desert" recounts this dramatic saga: from the earliest settlers lured by promises of paradise, to Jon Wesley Powell's advocacy of co-operative irrigation projects; from the ruthless tactics employed by Los Angeles to raid watersheds hundreds of miles away to sustain its phenomenal growth, to the federal government's entry into the water business. Reisner offers a bleak portrait of the future the West faces: over the next fifty years, millions of acres of America's most productive farmland will be abandoned due to the exhaustion of groundwater reserves. Reservoirs will silt up and soil and irrigated water is being contaminated by slat - the downfall of nearly every previous desert civilization.
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Seller's Description:
This is an ex-library book and may have the usual library/used-book markings inside. This book has soft covers. Clean from markings. In good all round condition. Please note the Image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item, 850grams, ISBN: 9780712667173.
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Seller's Description:
Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. Please expect some creasing to the spine and/or minor damage to the cover. Grubby book may have mild dirt or some staining, mostly on the edges of pages.
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Seller's Description:
Acceptable. Used-Acceptable. Dust cover damaged. Ships from UK in 48 hours or less (usually same day). Your purchase helps support Sri Lankan Children's Charity 'The Rainbow Centre'. Ex-library with wear and barcode page may have been removed. 100% money back guarantee. We are a world class secondhand bookstore based in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom and specialize in high quality textbooks across an enormous variety of subjects. We aim to provide a vast range of textbooks, rare and collectible books at a great price. Our donations to The Rainbow Centre have helped provide an education and a safe haven to hundreds of children who live in appalling conditions. We provide a 100% money back guarantee and are dedicated to providing our customers with the highest standards of service in the bookselling industry.
A truly captivating book. Many find the subject of water scarcity hard to believe but if you visit Hoover dam and the lakes in Nevada, Arizona and Texas you will see the proof. The water is disappearing. A few weeks ago an irregation contractor mentioned another unbelievable term...'water rationing'. Cadillac Desert tells it like it is in a way that makes it hard to put the book down.
YumanBean
Apr 13, 2008
Finestkind history!
This is a well-researched history written in a highly readable and entertaining manner, in spite of the serious subject: Water usage in the Western US and the Dept. of the Interior's Bureau of Wrecklamation and how they and the US Army Corps of Engineers changed the West, allowing farming and settlement to take placeat great expense to taxpayers (and gross changes to the environment). Lots of good books in Reisner's bibliography, too.
