Face of North America : the natural history of a continent

344 Pages·1963·40.433 MB·English

by  Peter Farb, Jerome Connolly

"The best single volume on
outdoor America that
I have yet seen."—John Kieran
,ere is the fascinating "Deserves national acclaim.
storyoftheformationofNorth ...Ithassignificanceforevery
America and its diverse, con- resident of America and every
stantly changing landscapes. visitor to our shores."
—
Region by region, Peter Farb Stewart L. Udall,
describes and explains our Secretary of the Interior
mountains and seacoasts, our
rivers and waterfalls, our for- "One of the best books of its
ests and grasslands, our des- kind know."- Hal Borland
— I
erts and deltas as they were
yesterday, are today, and will "Admirable. . . . There is far
be tomorrow. more in this book than facts;
wHielrdel,ifteoo,—araendtheevplearnytwshaenrde tdehsecrreiaprtieobnesa,uwtoifrutlhyimoafgiitnsamtaigv-e
man's imprint, for good nificent subj—ecGt.i"lbert Highet
and evil. It is a book to read,
to refer to, and, above all, to
enjoy — at home or out of "There should be a copy car-
ried in every car. Surely we
doors. can get more out of life if we
With 90 striking drawingsand learntounderstandandappre-
photographs; appendix listing ciate the forces that formed
national parks and forests and this world."— Marston Bates
suggested places to visit. inthe Introduction
Face of North America

Digitized by the Internet Archive
2010
in
http://www.archive.org/details/faceofnorthameriOOfarb
FACE
OF
NORTH
AMERICA
OtherBooks by PeterFarb
LIVING EARTH
THE FOREST
THE INSECTS
THE STORY OF LIFE
THE STORY OF BUTTERFLIES AND OTHER INSECTS
THE STORY OF DAMS
FACE OF
NORTH
AMERICA
THE NATURAL HISTORY
OF A CONTINENT
by Peter Farb
Illustrations by Jerome Connolly
HARPER & ROW, PUBLISHERS
NEW YORK AND EVANSTON
For Oriole
face ofnorthAmerica. Copyright © 1963 by PeterFarb. Printedin the UnitedStatesof
America. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any
manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations
embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information address Harper & Row,
Publishers, Incorporated, 49 East33rdStreet, New York 16, N.Y.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOG CARD NUMBER: 62-14598
LITHO IN U.S.A. BY MAHONY AND ROESE INC., NEW YORK, N. Y.
1
Contents
Illustrations • vii
Introduction by Marston Bates • xi
Preface • xiii
THE SHAPING OF A CONTINENT
I
1: TheSculpturedLand • 3
THE WATERY RIM
II
Rocky Seacoast • 19
Sand Beaches 36
•
Corals andDeltas • 5
The Western Boundary 62
THE INLAND WATERS
III
Rivers and Waterfalls • 75
LakesandBogs 90
•
Springs, Geysers, and Caves 105
•
<*3 v
CONTENTS
vi £»>
THE MOUNTAINS
IV
9 Appalachian Backbone • 117
10 The GreatDivide • 134
11 ThePacificRim • 155
THE FORESTS
12: ForestPrimeval • 173
13: Western Giants • 190
VI THE DRYLANDS
14 Sea of Grass • 203
15 High Plateau • 219
16 The GreatAmerican Desert 234
THE CHANGING FACE OF THE LAND
VII
17: Man'sImprint • 251
Appendix 261
•
OutstandingNatural Areas ofNorth America,
by State and Province
Readings 299
•
Index 307
•