Transcending the typical boundaries of natural history, Culliney, who teaches biology and marine science in Hawai'i, offers an environmental history: a comprehensive account of human interaction with vulnerable Hawaiian ecosystems and organisms from the near-shore sea to the mountaintops. Conservation is his pervading theme, though he recognizes that a balance must be struck between development and wilderness, and that some domestication of the natural world is necessary for human security and fulfillment. He includes 15 color photographs. The first edition appeared in 1988. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)