[Gutenberg 33178] • The Holy Earth

This is the book that helped set the stage for the ecology movement. Written in 1915 by Liberty Hyde Bailey, the Father of American Horticulture, it exercised enormous influence on early environmental protection programs. In addition to its timeless reflections on the earth's intrinsic divinity, it applies groundbreaking scientific principles to horticulture.

A botanist and horticulturist, Bailey was dismayed by the increasing separation between people and the land. In this book, he emphasizes the value of local culture and the preservation of wilderness. Bailey notes the rise of industrialized agriculture and cautions against the movement away from natural food. His clear expression of the religious and ethical implications of the human relationship to the earth offers both an enduring philosophy and practical modern advice.