Langston, an environmental history professor at Michigan Technological University, begins her book with an elegantly presented geographical, geological, and ecological summary of Lake Superior, the world's largest freshwater lake. The subsequent chapters describe the history of industrial assaults on the lake through waste product discharge and other toxins, particularly from iron ore mining and the paper production industry. Langston then deals with water quality laws and agreements, and the final chapter reviews climate change and the future of the lake. The book is handsomely produced: a wealth of photographs and useful diagrams accompany the text, and 40 pages of notes and references provide extensive, authoritative documentation. However, though the author tries to maintain objectivity, she tends to paint an unrelentingly grim picture of industrial sectors, with limited alternative perspectives. As Langston studied in Sweden, this reviewer wishes her treatment of the issues reflected more of the pragmatic Swedish model: Sweden is simultaneously a world leader in environmental policy and the leading mining nation in Europe. This text is a valuable reference source but should not be used in isolation. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty, and professionals. --Frank T. Manheim, George Mason University

Historian and activist Langston (environmental history, Michigan Technological Univ.; Toxic Bodies) seeks to capture the dynamism and significance of the largest lake in the world, from its fascinating social history to its unique relationship to global issues of pollution, recovery, industrialization, and climate change. Beginning with Lake Superior's ecological history, the book quickly moves into the massive and unfortunate impacts of the pulp, paper, and mining industries of the surrounding region from the late 19th century to the present. Various efforts to regulate water quality and reduce harmful pollutants over the years are also chronicled; many too little or too late, as Langston makes clear through a convincing combination of historical evidence and personal commentary. Readers are left encouraged to take action for the sake of Lake Superior as much as the wonders of their own backyards. VERDICT An engrossing cautionary tale for lovers of nature and the Great Lakes in particular. Recommended for students and enthusiasts of environmental science and history.-Robin Chin Roemer, Univ. of Washington Lib., Seattle © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.