From the 17th century's self-styled Enlightenment to the shell shock of the 20th century's Great War, the conventions and attitudes known as Modernity held significant sway over the Western mind. Long before the post-war disillusionment that sparked Postmodernism, Modernity made (and frequently fulfilled) tremendous promises, birthing the hope of a man-made utopia. It was an age of reason and progress marked by technological, political, and artistic achievements that bettered the lot of hu...

A perpetual bestseller, this third edition explores environmental quality from the perspective of soil science. The coverage ranges from the theoretical to the practical with an abundance of examples such as an exploration of allowable pesticide concentrations in drinking water and an inquiry into soil contamination from the trace elements in organic by-products. It also explores the use of soil carbon sequestration as a remedy for global climate change and the effects of acid precipitatio...

DostoevskySober Hope: Finding Faith in the Bleak MidwinterAs winter descends to end the year 2023, it is a time for contemplation: a time to revel in the joys and find balm for the woes of the past year, a time to find the courage to hold on, and the hope to thrive in the new year. Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821 - 1881) faced his own bleak (and Russian!) winters, from childhood play amongst the impoverished at his father's medical clinic to a last...