NEW YORK, NY--(MARKET WIRE)--Sep 9, 2008 -- The Library of America's definitive anthology of American environmental writing, "American Earth: Environmental Writing Since Thoreau," is being called a must-read for college students this fall, whether they are enrolled in environmental or literature programs or merely seeking to deepen their understanding of the historical and intellectual roots of the modern environmental movement.

Edited by renowned environmental author Bill McKibben, and featuring a forward by Al Gore, "American Earth" has been adopted in the curricula of several universities across the country, from Missouri to North Carolina, Michigan to California. The anthology is also gaining a wider audience among readers who share a concern about environmental preservation and global climate issues.

"We have been very pleased with the response to 'American Earth,'" said Max Rudin with The Library of America, a New York-based nonprofit publisher dedicated to preserving America's most significant writing. "It is essential that the voices of these great writers -- Thoreau and John Muir, Rachel Carson and Aldo Leopold, among many others -- continue to be heard loudly and clearly."

U.S. News & World Report says that McKibben's book, released on Earth Day 2008, has "traced the powerful bond between literature and natural protection through the nation's history."

"The idea that we might... leave some of [nature] aside, and there might be a dark edge to modernity -- it took John Muir and Rachel Carson to sit down, clear their throats, and say at some length what was what," McKibben told U.S. News in May. "Even the global warming movement broke out from Al Gore giving a slide show."

According to Publisher's Weekly, "American Earth" "should be read for the sheer beauty of the writing." Booklist says, "If you choose one environmental book this season, make it 'American Earth.'" The Boston Globe wrote: "For anyone seeking to understand the historical and intellectual roots of today's environmental movement, 'American Earth' is the best resource between two covers."

For more information about "American Earth" or to order a copy, please visit the book's companion website at www.americanearth.org.

About Bill McKibben

Bill McKibben is the author of books including "The End of Nature" (1989), the first account of global warming for a general audience; and most recently "Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future" (2007). Since 2006, he has organized the largest demonstrations against the causes of global climate change in American history. He is a scholar-in-residence at Middlebury College.

About The Library of America

Beginning its second quarter-century in 2008, The Library of America (www.loa.org) is an award-winning nonprofit publisher dedicated to preserving America's best and most significant writing in enduring volumes that feature authoritative texts. Hailed by Newsweek as the most important book-publishing project in the nation's history, The Library of America's acclaimed publications now feature more than 180 volumes.

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