An Environmental History of the World is a concise history, from Ancient to Modern times, of the interaction between human societies and the other forms of life that inhabit our planet. This original work follows a chronological path through the history of mankind, in relationship to ecosystems around the world. Each chapter concentrates on a general period in human history which has been characterised by large scale changes in the relationship of human societies to the biosphere, and gives three case-studies that illustrate the significant patterns occurring at that time. Little environmental or historical knowledge is assumed from the reader in this introduction to environmental history. 'We gain, overall, an impression of a scholar, not a tourist, who has presented a coherent story which is also good to read ... [an] admirable and intellectually adventurous book.' - The Holocene 'This reviewer enthusiastically appplauds Hughes's interpretive work on human history from an ecological perspective.' - The Historian J. Donald Hughes is John Evans Professor in the Department of History at the University of Denver, USA