American Pests: The Losing War on Insects from Colonial Times to DDT

James E. McWilliams

July, 2008
Cloth, 312 pages, 35 illus.
ISBN: 978-0-231-13942-7
$24.95 / £16.95

"[A] colorful chronicle of pest management in the United States . . . As well written as it is thorough." — Publishers Weekly

"[McWilliams] knows how to address unusual historical topics in rich detail . . . Poignant . . . Thorough . . . Recommended." — Library Journal

""[An] articulate, well-organized . . . excellent primer." — Irene Wanner, Seattle Times

"[McWilliams'] book should resonate in these times of GM temptations and global food shortages." — Times Literary Supplement

"Highly recommended." — Choice

"The originality of American Pests comes in the impressive sweep of its analysis and the integration of heretofore fragmented events into a coherent story." — Jeffrey A. Lockwood, professor of natural sciences and humanities, University of Wyoming

"James E. McWilliams deserves high praise. He has given us the best in-depth study of the poorly conceived, terribly managed, and utterly futile war on insect pests in the United States. Sweeping in its scope, acute in its analysis, and balanced in its judgments, American Pests should precipitate a national dialogue about how we attempt to manage the insect world, whether in our farms and orchards or in our own backyards." — James H. Jones, Alumni Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville

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About the Author

James E. McWilliams is an associate professor of history at Texas State University-San Marcos and a recent fellow in the Agrarian Studies Program at Yale University. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Washington Post, among other publications, and he is the author of A Revolution in Eating: How the Quest for Food Shaped America and Building the Bay Colony: Local Economy and Society in Early Massachusetts.

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