In this Book
- Carl Sauer on Culture and Landscape: Readings and Commentaries
- Book
- 2009
- Published by: Louisiana State University Press
Perhaps one of the most distinctive and studied geographers of the twentieth century, Carl O. Sauer (1889--1975) had influence that extends well beyond the confines of any one discipline. With a focus on historical and cultural geography, Sauer's essays have garnered praise from poets, natural historians, and social scientists alike who continue to explore Sauer's work. In Carl Sauer on Culture and Landscape, editors William M. Denevan and Kent Mathewson have compiled thirty-seven of Sauer's original works, including rare early writings, articles in now largely inaccessible publications, and transcriptions of key oral presentations that remain little known.
A student of the relationships between land and life, people and places, Sauer helped establish landscape studies in cultural geography and paved the way for paradigmatic shifts in the scholarly assessment of Native American history. By strongly advocating a land ethic, "a responsible stewardship of the sustaining earth," for his own and for future generations, Carl Sauer supplied an esthetic rationale and a historical perspective to the environmental movement.
The volume opens with two extended essays on Sauer's critics and his works. Essays by prominent geographers and other authorities on Sauer introduce each section of the book, adding a contemporary element to the presentation and interpretation of Sauer's life and scholarship in areas such as soil conservation, man in nature, and cultivated plants. A complete bibliography of his publications and an extensive compilation of commentaries on his life and work make this an indispensable reference.
Carl Sauer on Culture and Landscape sheds new light on Sauer's contributions to the history of geographic thought, sustainable land use, and the importance of biological and cultural diversity -- all of which remain key issues today.
Table of Contents

- I. ABOUT CARL SAUER
- 2. Carl Sauer and His Critics
- pp. 9-28
- II. EARLY EFFORTS
- 5. Introduction
- pp. 89-94
- 8. Man's Influence Upon the Earth (1916)
- pp. 103-104
- III. TOWARD MATURITY
- 10. Introduction
- pp. 111-118
- 11. The Field of Geography (1927)
- pp. 119-135
- 12. Cultural Geography (1931)
- pp. 136-143
- IV. ECONOMY/ECONOMICS
- 14. Introduction
- pp. 149-159
- V. CULTIVATED PLANTS
- 18. Introduction
- pp. 185-197
- 20. Maize into Europe (1962)
- pp. 213-228
- VI. MAN IN NATURE
- 21. Introduction
- pp. 231-241
- 22. Soil Conservation (1936)
- pp. 242-244
- 25. Grassland Climax, Fire, and Man (1950)
- pp. 261-268
- VII. HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY
- 26. Introduction
- pp. 271-276
- 28. About Nature and Indians (1939)
- pp. 292-295
- 30. Terra Firma: Orbis Novus (1962)
- pp. 306-323
- 31. Chart of My Course (1980)
- pp. 324-329
- 32. Decline of Indian Population (1980)
- pp. 330-337
- 33. The End of the Century (1980)
- pp. 338-341
- VIII. CARL SAUER ON GEOGRAPHERS AND OTHER SCHOLARS
- 34. Introduction
- pp. 345-351
- 35. Ruliff S. Holway, 1857–1927 (1929)
- pp. 352-353
- 36. Oskar Peschel, 1826–1875 (1934)
- pp. 354-355
- 37. Friedrich Ratzel, 1844–1904 (1934)
- pp. 356-357
- 38. Carl Ritter, 1779–1859 (1934)
- pp. 358-359
- 39. Ellen Churchill Semple, 1863–1932 (1934)
- pp. 360-361
- 40. Herbert Eugene Bolton, 1870–1953 (1954)
- pp. 362-366
- 41. Homer LeRoy Shantz, 1876–1958 (1959)
- pp. 367-370
- 42. Erhard Rostlund, 1900–1961 (1962)
- pp. 371-374
- 43. Richard J. Russell, 1895–1971 (1967)
- pp. 375-376
- 44. David I. Blumenstock, 1913–1963 (1968)
- pp. 377-379
- IX. INFORMAL REMARKS
- 45. Introduction
- pp. 383-389
- 47. The Seminar as Exploration (1976 [1948])
- pp. 392-397
- 48. The Quality of Geography (1970)
- pp. 398-406
- 49. Casual Remarks (1976)
- pp. 407-416
- Bibliography of Publications
- pp. 421-431
- Contributors
- pp. 433-435