About the Book

History texts study and interpret the past as it may be understood from written documents. The period before written records is called prehistory. Historians use a narrative to examine and analyse past events, and attempt to objectively determine the patterns of cause and effect. Historical studies are not an end in themselves, but also a way of providing perspective on events taking place in the present.

Also in this Book

History derives from Greek historia, meaning "inquiry, knowledge acquired by investigation". It is the study of the past as described in written documents, with events occurring before written records being considered prehistory. World history is generally considered a teaching topic rather than a research topic. There are many history text books of varying quality, with some addressing the teaching of history or historiography, the process of undertaking research in history.

About us

Leopold Classic Library has the goal of making available to readers the classic books that have been out of print for decades. While these books may have occasional imperfections, we consider that only hand checking of every page ensures readable content without poor picture quality, blurred or missing text etc. That's why we:

• republish only hand checked books;
• that are high quality;
• enabling readers to see classic books in original formats; that
• are unlikely to have missing or blurred pages.

Happy reading!

A lavishly illustrated study of the natural and cultural history of the Vermont landscape.

In this book Jan Albers examines the history―natural, environmental, social, and ultimately human―of one of America's most cherished landscapes: Vermont. Albers shows how Vermont has come to stand for the ideal of unspoiled rural community, examining both the basis of the state's pastoral image and the equally real toll taken by the pressure of human hands on the land. She begins with the relatively light touch of Vermont's Native Americans, then shows how European settlers―armed with a conviction that their claim to the land was "a God-given right"―shaped the landscape both to meet economic needs and to satisfy philosophical beliefs. The often turbulent result: a conflict between practical requirements and romantic ideals that has persisted to this day. Making lively use of contemporary accounts, advertisements, maps, landscape paintings, and vintage photographs, Albers delves into the stories and personalities behind the development of a succession of Vermont landscapes. She observes the growth of communities from tiny settlements to picturesque villages to bustling cities; traces the development of agriculture, forestry, mining, industry, and the influence of burgeoning technology; and proceeds to the growth of environmental consciousness, aided by both private initiative and governmental regulation. She reveals how as community strengthens, so does responsible stewardship of the land. Albers shows that like any landscape, the Vermont landscape reflects the human decisions that have been made about it―and that the more a community understands about how such decisions have been made, the better will be its future decisions.

For many Americans, Vermont still seems what the United States at least in myth once was--a bucolic landscape of wooded hills, neat farms, and handsome villages--before modern forces transformed our agrarian nation into an urban-industrial giant.