Tinkering with Eden: A Natural History of Exotic Species in America

By Jan Sammer

Book Overview

What basic freedom is guaranteed by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution? Who was Louis Brandeis and what did he stand for? What was Susan B. Anthony's unique interpretation of the words "we... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140169679
• ISBN13: 9780140169676
• Release Date: June 2002
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 302 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.2" x 0.8" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

How the American Revolution has changed the world

This charming little book helps remind us just how revolutionary the American idea of liberty and government by the people was when first proposed in the Eighteenth century... and how revolutionary it continues to be in certain parts of the world even today. Reading these excerpts, the one feels as if each of the witnesses called upon to testify spoke to the reader directly from its portrait on the opposite page. My favorite passage is from Thomas Paine: "From a small spark kindled in America a flame has arisen not to be extinguished. Man finds himself transformed, he scarcely perceives how." The American idea has truly transformed the world more than we often realize.

How the American Revolution has changed the world

This charming little book helps remind us just how revolutionary the American idea of liberty and government by the people was when first proposed in the Eighteenth century... and how revolutionary it continues to be in certain parts of the world even today. Reading these excerpts, the one feels as if each of the witnesses called upon to testify spoke to the reader directly from his or her portrait on the opposite page. My favorite passage is from Thomas Paine: "From a small spark kindled in America a flame has arisen not to be extinguished. Man finds himself transformed, he scarcely perceives how." The American idea has truly transformed the world more than we often realize.

An essential American handbook for our times

This handy little book presents several essential American documents which deserve to be read and re-read these days, such as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Emancipation Proclamation. But the most interesting texts are the carefully chosen comments about political freedom and the American project from a variety of historical figures ranging from Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson to Martin Luther King and JFK--the quality and clarity of their writing and thinking is startling to modern ears. This little blue book is the "Little Red Book" for Americans and students of America.