{"product_id":"hands-on-the-land-a-history-of-the-vermont-landscape-9780262011754","title":"Hands on the Land: A History of the Vermont Landscape","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn this book Jan Albers examines the history--natural  environmental  social  and ultimately human--of one of Americas most cherished landscapes: Vermont.Albers shows how Vermont has come to stand for the ideal of unspoiled rural community  examining both the basis of the states pastoral image and the equally real toll taken by the pressure of human hands on the land. She begins with the relatively light touch of Vermonts Native Americans  then shows how European settlers--armed with a conviction that their claim to the land was \"a God-given right\"--shaped the landscape both to meet economic needs and to satisfy philosophical beliefs. The often turbulent result: a conflict between practical requirements and romantic ideals that has persisted to this day.Making lively use of contemporary accounts  advertisements  maps  landscape paintings  and vintage photographs  Albers delves into the stories and personalities behind the development of a succession of Vermont landscapes. She observes the growth of communities from tiny settlements to picturesque villages to bustling cities; traces the development of agriculture  forestry  mining  industry  and the influence of burgeoning technology; and proceeds to the growth of environmental consciousness  aided by both private initiative and governmental regulation. She reveals how as community strengthens  so does responsible stewardship of the land.Albers shows that like any landscape  the Vermont landscape reflects the human decisions that have been made about it--and that the more a community understands about how such decisions have been made  the better will be its future decisions.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45279581700149,"sku":"ByrdShop_0262011751","price":49.74,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780262011754.jpg?v=1780602683","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/hands-on-the-land-a-history-of-the-vermont-landscape-9780262011754","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}