George Perkins Marsh is known today primarily as the author of Man and Nature; or, Physical Geography as Modified by Human Action (1864), one of the most original and farsighted books of the nineteenth century. In an era devoted to the limitless exploitation of natural resources, it set forth in great detail the history and dangers of such exploitation, making it one of the earliest statements of the conservation ethic. Marsh, however, in his own day was known primarily as a philologist, and his various roles included those of public servant, legislator, and diplomat. He wrote on camels and religion, Turkey and trade, the Civil War, dictionaries, and the education of women. His questing mind and tireless energy insured a depth of research that conferred an aura of authority on any of the many subjects he chose to examine.

Marsh was born on 15 March 1801 in Woodstock, Vermont, to Charles...