True Gardens of the Gods: California-Australian Environmental Reform, 1860-1930

Rating:
Summary: Excellent comparative history
Review: For anyone interested in the Pacific Rim, and in comparative history, this book provides a fascinating introduction to the beginnings of an environmental consciousness in the West and in Australia. Centred on plants and water, Tyrrell provides a convincing number of examples of shared problems between California and Australia; he also highlights the vexed issues of introduced species, and the aesthetic ideologies which accompany the use of "exotic" plants.
It is solid history, but also fun to read.