Silent Spring - United Diversity

1 Silent Spring RACHEL CARSON Author of THE SEA AROUND US THE EXPLOSIVE BESTSELLER THE WHOLE WORLD IS TALKING ABOUT Silent Spring , winne r of 8 awards*, is the his tory making bes ts eller that s tunned the world with its terrifying revelation about our contaminate d planet. No s cience-fiction nightmare can equal the power of this authentic and chilling portrait of the un-seen des troye rs which have already begun to change the s hape of life as we know it. Silent Spring is a devas tating attack on human careles s ness , greed and irres pons ibility. It s hould be read by every Ame rican who does not want it to be the epitaph of a world not very far bey ond us in time.

2 --- Saturday Review *Awards received by Rachel Carson for SI LE NT SPRI NG: The Schweitzer Medal (Animal Welfare Institute) The Constance Lindsay Skinner Achievement Award for merit in the realm of books (Wo me n s National Book Association) Award for Distinguished Service (New England Outdoor Writers Association) Conservation Award for 1962 (Rod and Gun Editors of Metropolitan Manhattan) Conservationist of the Year (National Wildlife Federation) 1963 Achi e vement Award ( albert einstein college of medicine --- Women s Division) Annual Founders Award (Isaak Walton League) Citation (International and Councils of Women) Silent Spring ( By Rachel Carson )

3 I recommend Silent Spring above all other books . --- N. J. Berrill author of MAN S EMERGING MIND "Certain to be his tory-making in its influence upon thought and public policy all over the worl d." --Book- of-the- Month Club News "Mis s Cars on is a scientis t and is not given to tos s ing s erious charges around carelessly. When s he warns us , as s he does with s uch a profound s ens e of urgency, we ought to take heed. Silent Spring may well be one of the great and lowe ring books of our time. This book is mus t reading for every res pons ible citizen." --Chicago Daily "Miss Carson's cry of warning is timely.

4 If our species cannot police itself against overpopulation, nuclear weapons and pollution, it may become extinct." --The New York Ti mes "A great woman has awakened the Nation by he r forceful account of the dangers around us . We owe muc h to Rachel Cars on." --Stewa rt L. Udall, Secretary of the Inte rior "It is high time for people to know about thes e rapid changes in their environment, and to take an effective part in the battle that may shape the future of all life on earth." -The New York Times Book Review{front page} "It s hould come as no s urpris e that the gifted author of THE SEA AROUN US can take anothe r bra nch of s cience.

5 And bring it s o s harply into focus that any intelligent layman can unders tand what s he is talking about. Unders tand, yes , and s hudde r, for s he has drawn a living portrait of what is happening to this balance of nature as decreed in the science of life --- and what man is doing (and has done) to des troy it and create a s cience of death." -Virginia Kirkus Bulletin Silent Spring By Rachel Carson (ONE SIN GLE BOO K WH ICH BRO UG HT TH E ISS UE O F PES T ICIDES CENT ER STA GE . W IT H MA SS SC ALE POISONING OF TH E LAND WITH P ES TIC ID ES AN D WITH THO USAN DS OF FA RMERS COM M IT TIN G S UIC ID E THI S BOO K IS ESSENTIAL FOR P UBLIC RESEA RCH IN IN DIA.)

6 A CREST REPRINT FAWCETT PUBLICATIONS, INC., GREENWICH, CONN. MEMBER OF AMERICAN BOOK PUBLISHERS COUNCIL, INC. To albert Sch weitz er who said Man has lost the capacity to foresee and to forestall. He will end by destroying the earth. Contents i. Acknowledgments ii. Fore wo rd 1. A Fable for Tomorrow 2. The Obligation to Endure 3. Elixirs of Death 4. Surface Waters and Unde rground Seas 5. Realms of the Soil 6. Earth s Green Mantle 7. Needless Havoc 8. And No Birds Sing 9. Rivers of Death 10. Indiscriminately from the Skies 11. Beyond the Dreams of the Borgias 12. The Human P rice 13.

7 Through a Narrow Window 14. One in Every Four 15. Nature Fights Back 16. The Rumblings of an Avalanche 17. The Other Road Acknowledgments IN A LETTER written in January 1958, Olga Owens Huckins told me of he r own bitter experience of a small world made lifeless , and s o brought my atte ntion s harply back to a problem with which I had long been concerned. I the n realized I must write this book. During the yea rs s ince then I have received help and encourageme nt f rom s o many people that it is not pos sible to name them all here. Thos e who have freely s hared with me the fruits of many years experience and s tudy repres ent a wide variety of government agencies in this and othe r countries , many unive rs ities and res earch ins titutions , and many profes s ions.

8 To all of the m I expres s my deepes t thanks for time and thought s o generous ly given. In addition my s pecial gratitude goes to thos e who took ti me to read portions of the manus cript and to offer comment and criticism bas ed on thei r own expe rt knowledge. Although the final responsibility for the accuracy and validity of the tex t is mine, I could not have complete d the book without the generous help of thes e s pecialis ts : L. G. Bartholomew, , of the Mayo Clinic, John J. Bies ele of the Univers ity of Texas , A. W. A. Brown of the Univers ity of Wes tern Ontario, Morton S.

9 Bis kind, , of Wes tport, Connecticut, C. J. Briejer of the Plant Protection Service in Holland, Clarence Cottam of the Rob and Bessie Welder Wildlife Foundation, George Crile, Jr., , of the Cleveland Clinic, Frank Egler of Norfolk, Connecticut, Malcolm M. Hargraves, , of the Mayo Clinic, W. C. Hueper, , of the National Cancer Institute, C. J. Kerswill of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada, Olaus Murie of the Wilderness Society, A. D. Pickett of the Canada Department of Agriculture, Thomas G. Scott of the Illinois Natural History Survey, Clarence Tarzwell of the Taft Sanitary Engineering Center, and George J.

10 Wallace of Michigan State Univers ity. Every writer of a book bas ed on many divers e facts owes much to the s kill and helpfulnes s of librarians . I owe s uch a debt to many, but es pecially to Ida K. Johns ton of the Depa rtment of the Interior Library and to Thelma Robi ns on of the Libra ry of the National Institutes of Health. As my editor, Paul Brooks has given s teadfas t encouragement ove r the years and has cheerfully accommodated his plans to pos tponeme nts and delays . For this , and for his s killed editorial judgment, I am everlastingly grateful.