RACHEL CARSON
Photo of Rachel Carson by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Dates: 1907-1964
Nationality: American
Literary Periods:
American Conformity and Criticism Period, 1930-1960
Modernist Period, 1899-1945
Postwar Period, 1945-1999
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Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge dedication plaque taken by Harry Cutts, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
REFERENCE & BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Scribner Writers Series [Database]
Bibliography on the life and works of Rachel Carson, complete works
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RESEARCH & CRITICISM
Books, essays, and journal articles indexed in MLA International Bibliography 
[Database]
MLA International Bibliography is the definitive literary research database, indexing the most authoritative Carson scholarship published in books and academic journals. MLA indexes and links to the entire JSTOR literary research collection as well as linking to many other full-text providers and the Colby College Libraries catalog. If you discover books or articles through MLA that are not available at Colby or through our lending partners, please request these items using your ILLiad Account.
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PRIMARY SOURCES: TEXTS
Silent Spring (2002) by
Rarely does a single book alter the course of history, but Rachel Carson's Silent Spring did exactly that. The outrcry that followed its publication in 1962 forced the banning of DDT and spurred the revolutionary changes in the laws affecting our air, land, and water. Carson's passionate concern for the future of our planet reverberated powerfully throughout the world, and her eloquent book was instrumental in launching the environmental movement. I tis without question one of the landmark books of the twentieth century.
Call Number: Bates SB959 .C3 2002ISBN: 9780618253050
The Sea Around Us (1989) by
Published in 1951, The Sea Around Us is one of the most remarkably successful books ever written about the natural world. Rachel Carson's rare ability to combine scientific insight with moving, poetic prose catapaulted her book to first place on The New York Times best-seller list, where it ruled for thirty-one consecutive weeks. It remained on the list for more than a year and a half and ultimately sold well over a million copies, has been translated into 28 languages, inspired an Academy Award-winning documentary, and won both the 1952 National Book Award and the John Burroughs Medal. This classic work remains as fresh today as when it first appeared. Carson's writing teems with stunning, memorable images--the newly formed Earth cooling in perpetual gloom beneath an endlessly overcast sky; the centuries of nonstop rain that created the oceans; giant squids battling sperm whales hundreds of fathoms below the surface; and incredibly powerful tides moving 100 billion tons of water daily in the Bay of Fundy. Carson describes the hidden mountains and canyons of the ocean deeps and how they are now being mapped; the ceaseless power of the winds, waves, and currents; the meaning of the ocean to humanity--the heritage of the sea that we carry in our bodies--and the riches to be found in every cubic mile of seawater ($93,000,000 in gold alone). In short, she captures the mystery and allure of the ocean with a compelling blend of imagination and expertise. This Special Edition features a brand new chapter written by Jeffrey Levinton, a leading expert in marine ecology, who brings the scientific side of The Sea Around Us completely up to date. Levinton incorporates the most recent thinking on continental drift, coral reefs, the spread of the ocean floor, the deterioration of the oceans, mass extinction of sea life, and many other topics. In addition, acclaimed nature writer Anne Zwinger has contributed a brief foreword. Today, with the oceans endangered by medical waste and ecological disasters such as the Exxon oil spill in Alaska, this illuminating volume provides a timely reminder of both the fragility and the importance of the ocean and the life that abounds within it. Anyone who loves the sea, or who is concerned about our natural environment, will want to read this classic work.
Call Number: Colby SCIENCE GC21 .C32 1989ISBN: 0195061861
The sense of wonder by Call Number: Colby SCIENCE QH51 .C35
Under the sea-wind : a naturalist's picture of ocean life by Call Number: Colby SCIENCE QH92 .C3 1952
Lost woods : the discovered writing of Rachel Carson (1998) by
A trove of Carson writing never before published or collected. Included are examples of Carson's early & often remarkable nature writing. A priceless addition to our knowledge of Rachel Carson & her passionate & influential engagement with the natural world.
Call Number: Colby SCIENCE QH81 .C3546 1998ISBN: 0807085464
ADDITIONAL PRIMARY SOURCES
- A Sense of Wonder: Two Interviews with Rachel Carson, A film by Kaiulani Lee [INTERVIEW]Available at the Science Library circulation desk SCIENCE DVD QH31.C33 S4 2008
- Always, Rachel: The Letters of Rachel Carson and Dorothy Freeman, 1952-1964, edited by Martha Freeman [Correspondence]Available in the Science Library SCIENCE QH31.C33 A4 1995