description: As the crucible of life, the source and final resting place of everything that grows, soil inspires reverence not only in the peasant who derives his daily bread from it, but also in the scientist who contemplates its meaning as the place where life and death meet and exchange vital energies . Out of the Earth is the culmination of the author's long career in conservation. This history of man's use and misuse of soil and water combines a description of the complex inner processes that form soil with a lyrical assertion of its powers and significance.
title: Out of the Earth: Civilization and the Life of the Soil
titlecomplete: Out of the Earth: Civilization and the Life of the Soil
genres: Nonfiction, Science
ratings_count: 51
awards: awardedAt: 662716800000
name: PROSE Award
category: Geography and Earth Sciences
publisher: University of California Press