Book excerpt: Bryson (humanities, Evelyn T. Stone U. College, Roosevelt U.) discusses the connections between the representation of nature and the practice of science in America from the 1840s to the 1960s, as presented in the texts of seven American writers: John Charles Fremont, Richard Byrd, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, John Wesley Powell, Susan Cooper, Rachel Carson, and Loren Eiseley. The author considers how various scientific perspectives have influenced environmental attitudes; how selected writers of varied backgrounds, scientific training, and geographic experience have represented nature through a variety of natural sciences; and the relations among science, nature, language, and the human community. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR