"A fascinating book--I hope everyone in and out of government who is concerned with Florida's environment will read it."--Marjorie Carr
"A fascinating history of Florida's environmental past with a chilling look at its future and a spellbinding account of environmental disasters and heroics."--Nathaniel P. Reed, U.S. Department of the Interior
Published thirty years ago, this book is now considered a classic in the field of environmental history. Nelson Blake (1908-1996) was an innovative social historian and the country's foremost authority on water management. His seminal study regarding Everglades drainage, the Cross-Florida Canal, and the overall development of water policy in Florida from the early nineteenth century onward has proven to be remarkably prescient.
This updated edition includes a new introduction, two new chapters, and a new afterword, allowing Blake's brilliant discussion of Florida's water management struggles to shine through, even while providing information that brings the story up to date.
