When first published in 1982, this work was one of the most remarkable scholarly projects ever undertaken by an America historian: a systematic rewriting of U.S. history that put fire at the center of the narrative. From prehistory to the present-day conservation movement, Pyne explores the efforts of successive American cultures to master wildfire and to use it to shape the landscape. He informs readers about the role of fire in the landscape, and discusses what fire has meant to the rise of civilization and this nation. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.