This book would not exist were it not for the willingness of many to speak to me about their deepest values and perceptions. I feel privileged to be entrusted with these views and am grateful to all who shared them with me.
I have benefited from a number of scholars for their perceptive readings of the entire manuscript: Jonathan Benthall, Michael York, Graham Harvey, Max Oelschlaeger, Michael E. Zimmerman, Edward T. Linenthal, and Yamini Narayanan. All provided helpful substantive comments as well as much appreciated encouragement. York added a close copy editor’s eye after the manuscript was completed and continues to be one of my favorite conversation partners. Benthall’s response and his own scholarship enhanced my confidence that this work would appeal to a wide audience, including anthropologists. Zimmerman filled in some important historical details. Narayanan commented as the final chapters emerged, and her enthusiasm was a blast of positive energy that helped me through many months of long hours’ writing. Kocku von Stuckrad, Sarah Pike, Robin Wright, and Ricardo Rozzi also read chapters and made comments that led to significant improvements. I am also grateful to Daniel Deudney, with whom I periodically discuss politics and nature religion, for his blessing in borrowing one of his apt neologisms, and to Penny Bernard for facilitating valuable experiences in Africa and for many valuable conversations.
I am deeply in debt to a number of graduate students in the religion and nature program at the University of Florida. Bridgette O’Brien performed numerous, critical time-saving tasks as well as fabulously helpful research assistance down the home stretch. Bernard Zaleha and Luke Johnston, with their knowledge of American environmental history and international sustainability movements, respectively, provided a number of valuable leads during my research. Such leads are acknowledged, to the best of my memory, in additional notes available at www.brontaylor.com. A number of other young scholars, through their professionalism and hard work on the Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature, and Culture, helped preserve the time needed to write this book: Gavin Van Horn, Joseph Witt, Luke Johnston, Robin Globus, and Todd Levasseur. Along with Michael Lemons, they provided feedback on some manuscript chapters, Globus serving ably as the first reader on the initial chapters, while Van Horn and Witt contributed significantly to the research that went into chapter 3, in part through our collaboration on two previously co-authored articles. While many have provided moral support during recent years, I am especially grateful to O’Brien and Zaleha in this regard. Danielle Keeter, an undergraduate student who took to the religion and nature field like a fish discovering water, not only ran down sources, but through meticulous reading caught many errors and significantly improved every chapter she read. I have also appreciated feedback from and conversations with Margot Adler and Judy Harrow.
This book would not have been completed when it was without the efficiency and competence of the executive leadership of the Society for the Study of Religion, Nature, and Culture, especially Luke Johnston, Laura Hobgood-Oster, Terry Terhaar, Kristina Tiedje, and Kocku von Stuckrad. I am also grateful for the remarkable Website assistance from Daniel Whittaker, Ipsita Chatterjea, and Sean Connors and able office assistance from Anne Newman.
My deepest debts are to my immediate family, Beth Corey-Taylor, Anders, Kaarin, and Kelsey. Without their forbearance, brilliance, independence, support, and diversions—even insights and occasional proofreading—this project would have been much more difficult to complete.
To one and all: thank you!