Books : Mount Mitchell and the Black Mountains: An Environmental History of the Highest Peaks in Eastern America
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by: Timothy Silver
List Price: $20.95Amazon.com's Price: $12.19 You Save: $8.76 (42%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 304.2809756873
EAN: 9780807854235
ISBN: 0807854239
Label: The University of North Carolina Press
Manufacturer: The University of North Carolina Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 352
Publication Date: March 03, 2003
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Release Date: January 17, 2007
Sales Rank: 862227
Studio: The University of North Carolina Press
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
Each year, thousands of tourists visit Mount Mitchell, the most prominent feature of North Carolina's Black Mountain range and the highest peak in the eastern United States. Environmental historian Timothy Silver explores the long and complicated history of this intriguing landscape, drawing on both the historical record and his experience in the Black Mountains as a backpacker and fly fisherman. He chronicles the geological and environmental forces that created the mountains, then traces their history of environmental change and human intervention from the days of Indian-European contact to today.
Among the many tales Silver recounts is that of Elisha Mitchell, the renowned geologist and University of North Carolina professor for whom Mount Mitchell is named, who fell to his death there in 1857. But nature's stories--of forest fires, chestnut blight, competition among plants and animals, insect invasions, and, most recently, airborne toxins and acid rain--are also part of Silver's narrative, making it the first history of the Appalachians in which the natural world gets equal time with human history. It is only by understanding the dynamic between these two forces, Silver says, that we can begin to protect the Black Mountains for future generations.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - Excellent read...
Weaving the history of the Black Mtns with the author's personal diary made this book exceptional. I particularly enjoyed the theory on how mountain balds were formed and how native americans survived and made most of the land. I recommend this book to anyone who hikes or camps and appreciates the mountains.
Rating: - Mount Mitchell
What an excellent book! Timothy Silver has given us a two fold view of Mount Mitchell and the Black Mountains of North Carolina. A combination of the natural history of the area, and man's exploration/exploitation of these lofty peaks. I think what I enjoyed most about the book, were the short "interludes" where the writer inserts his many experiences of car camping, hiking/backpacking, trout fishing, or just marveling at nature while sitting at some well known spot, or some "hidey-hole" known ... Read More
Rating: - The Black Mountains and Nature's Inherent Complexity
Timothy Silver has given us an excellent history of Mount Mitchell and the Black Mountains.
The work is titled as an environmental history, and it is supported by a wealth of factual information, but the whole presentation is a wonderful flowing story of these peaks in western North Carolina, and their history as they were shaped by nature and by man.
Of special interest is the account of the feud between Elisha Mitchell and Thomas Clingman. The story encompasses misunderstandings, fragile ... Read More
Rating: - Nature meets Culture
What a terrific book Timothy Silver has crafted! Anyone interested in mountains, hiking, fishing, environmental issues, natural history, or the local history of North Carolina's mountains will enjoy this wonderful account. Professor Silver, a historian in western North Carolina, has written a book in which Mount Mitchell stars at the center of his narrative--and both general readers and professional historians can find meaning and pleasure in his tale.
Like many environmental historians, ... Read More
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