A Forest on the Sea: Environmental Expertise in Renaissance Venice

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A Forest on the Sea: Environmental Expertise in Renaissance Venice Author: Format: Hardback First Published: Published By: Johns Hopkins University Press
string(3) "376"
Pages: 376 Illustrations and other contents: 9 Halftones, black and white; 1 Maps; 3 Line drawings, black and white Language: English ISBN: 9780801892615 Categories: , ,

Wood was essential to the survival of the Venetian Republic. To build its great naval and merchant ships, maintain its extensive levee system, construct buildings, fuel industries, and heat homes, Venice needed access to large quantities of oak and beech timber. The island city itself was devoid of any forests, so the state turned to its mainland holdings for this vital resource. A Forest on the Sea explores the history of this enterprise and Venice’s efforts to extend state control over its natural resources. Karl Appuhn explains how Venice went from an isolated city completely dependent on foreign suppliers for wood to a regional state with a sophisticated system of administering and preserving forests. Intent on conserving this invaluable resource, Venice employed specialized experts to manage its forests. The state bureaucracy supervised this work, developing a philosophy about the environment-namely, a mutual dependence between humans and the natural world-that was far ahead of its time. Its efforts kept many large forest preserves under state protection, some of which still stand today. A Forest on the Sea offers a completely novel perspective on how Renaissance Europeans thought about the natural world. It sheds new light on how cultural conceptions about nature influenced political policies for resource conservation and land management in Venice.

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A useful work for upper-level students doing in-depth research. Choice The work of Karl Appuhn, based on extensive archival research and rich technical insights, offers a major study devoted to the social, economic, administrative, and political aspects of Venetian forest management. -- David Celetti Renaissance Quarterly Magisterial. -- John M. Hunt Journal of Modern History A wonderful study of Venetian politics, natural knowledge, resource management, and bureaucratic development. -- Chandra Mukerji American Historical Review With this splendid and painstakingly researched volume, Appuhn is sure to inspire others to the view that nature is to be honored and respected, managed if necessary, but not merely there for human taking. -- Robert A. Pierce Sixteenth Century Journal A must-have. Richly illustrated, highly readable, and filled with fascinating detail, this book should also enjoy a far wider readership among Pacific, colonial, and natural historians alike. -- Emily Manktelow Journal of World History Appuhn blazes a trail where others may very usefully follow. -- Paul Warde Cultural and Social History This remarkable book contains many fascinating details. -- Pamela H. Smith Isis