Vestal Fire

An Environmental History, Told through Fire, of Europe and Europe's Encounter with the World

By: Stephen J. Pyne

Write A Review

Paperback | 1 March 2000

At a Glance

Paperback
680 Pages

Age
22+

Grade
17+

Dimensions(cm)
22.86 x 15.24 x 3.81

Paperback

$68.75

or 4 interest-free payments of $17.19 with

Ships in 5 to 7 business days

Stephen Pyne has been described as having a consciousness "composed of equal parts historian, ecologist, philosopher, critic, poet, and sociologist." At this time in history when many people are trying to understand their true relationship with the natural environment, this book offers a remarkable contribution--breathtaking in the scope of its research and exhilarating to read.

Pyne takes the reader on a journey through time, exploring the terrain of Europe and the uses and abuses of its lands as well as, through migration and conquest, many parts of the rest of the world. Whether he is discussing the Mediterranean region, Russia, Scandinavia, the British Isles, central Europe, or colonized islands; whether he is considering the impact of agriculture, forestry, or Enlightenment thinking, the author brings an unmatched insight to his subject.

Vestal Fire takes its title from Vesta, Roman goddess of the hearth and keeper of the sacred fire on Mount Olympus. But the book's title also suggests the strengths and limitations of Europe's peculiar conception of fire, and through fire, of its relationship to nature. Between the untamed fire of the wilderness and the tended fire of the hearth lies a never-ending dialectic in which human beings struggle to control natural forces and processes that in fact can sometimes be directed but never wholly dominated or contained.

Industry Reviews

Vestal Fire can be described as Pyne's masterpiece, a prodigious and eloquent narration of European history spanning several millennia, woven together by a common thread, fire.

--Choice

Shipping

	Standard Shipping	Express Shipping
Metro postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Regional postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Rural postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95

Orders over $79.00 qualify for free shipping.

How to return your order

At Booktopia, we offer hassle-free returns in accordance with our returns policy. If you wish to return an item, please get in touch with Booktopia Customer Care.

Additional postage charges may be applicable.

Defective items

If there is a problem with any of the items received for your order then the Booktopia Customer Care team is ready to assist you.

For more info please visit our Help Centre.

You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction Engineering & Technology Environmental Science Earth Sciences, Geography, Environment, Planning Industry & Industrial Studies Primary Industries Forestry & Related Industries Agriculture & Farming Forestry & Silviculture Practice & Techniques Nature & The Natural World Trees, Mushrooms, Wildflowers & Plants The Earth & Natural History in General

Society & Culture Social Groups Ethnic Studies

Foreword	p. xi
Author's Note	p. xv
Prologue: Quest for Fire	p. 3
Elements
Flame	p. 9
Diamond in the Rough: A Physical Geography of European Fire	p. 10
New Worlds from Old: A Biogeography of European Fire	p. 16
Fusain and Flame: A Natural History of European Fire	p. 20
Torch	p. 25
Errant Fire: The Hominid Colonization of Europe	p. 27
Cultivated Fire: The Agricultural Reclamation of Europe	p. 32
Pyrotechnia: The Technology of Combustion	p. 41
Hearth	p. 49
Domiciled Fire: Hearth and House	p. 50
The Fire in the Cave: Combustion and Cognition	p. 59
Need-Fire, Vestal Fire: Ceremony and Ritual	p. 68
Europe	p. 79
Eternal Flame: Fire in Mediterranean Europe	p. 81
Prologue: West of Eden	p. 81
Behold, Before a Garden, Behind a Waste	p. 83
Arcadia and Anarchy: Mediterranean Pastorale	p. 95
Grand Traverse: Imperial France	p. 106
Mediterranean Miniature: Cyprus	p. 127
Epilogue: Fin-de-Siecle Fire	p. 143
Controlled Combustion: Fire in Central Europe	p. 147
Prologue: Ashes and Embers	p. 147
Landnam: The Fire of First Contact	p. 148
Reclamation: The Fire in the Garden	p. 157
Revolution: The Enlightenment Comes to Agriculture	p. 166
Revolution Redux: Forestry Takes Command	p. 184
Epilogue: Holocaust	p. 203
Wild Hearth: Fire in Boreal Europe	p. 210
Prologue: Fire and Water	p. 210
Fire and Sword: The Historia of Olaus Magnus	p. 214
Fire and Ax: The Finnish Colonization	p. 228
Fire and Field: The Travels of Linnaeus	p. 239
Fire and Iron: The Adventures of Nils	p. 254
Epilogue: Final Flame	p. 269
Flaming Front: Fire in Eurasian Europe	p. 274
Prologue: Wooden Rus' Is like a Fire	p. 274
The Candle and the Torch	p. 280
Lines of Fire, Fields of Fire	p. 296
Emancipation and Suppression	p. 312
When the Sky Burned	p. 328
Epilogue: Fire in the Minds of Men	p. 339
Spot Fires: Fire in Atlantic Europe	p. 343
Prologue: Sparks in the Wind	p. 343
It Was All a Planted Garden: The British Isles	p. 346
Green Fire: The Celtic Isle	p. 369
Northern Mists, Northern Smoke: The Norse Islands	p. 375
Blessed Isles, Burned Isles: The Iberian Islands	p. 382
Epilogue: The World Encompassed	p. 391
Earth	p. 397
Islands	p. 399
New Fire: The Coming of Anthropogenic Fire	p. 400
Strange Fire: The Coming of European Fire	p. 411
Sacred Fire: The Coming of Conservation	p. 442
Continents	p. 463
Carrying the Fire: Europe Expands	p. 465
Counter Fire: Europe Contains	p. 480
Fire in the Ashes: Europe Rekindles	p. 500
Planets	p. 532
Conduction: The European Connection	p. 532
Radiation: The Neo-Europes	p. 536
Convection: Black Death, Heat Death	p. 539
Epilogue: Beyond the Realm of Fire	p. 544
Notes	p. 549
Glossary	p. 583
Bibliography	p. 587
Index	p. 635
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.

Vestal Fire

An Environmental History, Told through Fire, of Europe and Europe's Encounter with the World

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

More in The Earth & Natural History in General

The Coast

A Journey Along Australia's Eastern Shores

The Burning Earth

An Environmental History of the Last 500 Years

A Little History of the Earth

Little Histories

The River

A Journey through the Murray-Darling Basin

The Ancients

Discovering the world's oldest surviving trees in wild Tasmania

Heart of Ice

A journey into Antarctica's frozen realm

100 Australian Butterflies, Bees, Beetles & Bugs

The Breath of the Gods

The History and Future of the Wind

The Land in Winter

Shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2025 & Winner of the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction

Storm

Chasing Nature's Wildest Weather

A Life on Our Planet

My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future

A Sand County Almanac

And Sketches Here and There

Deadly Science - Wild Weather

Book 2 2nd Edition

Mr and Mrs Gould

The extraordinary true story of the life of Australia's greatest naturalists and explorers, from the award winning bestselling author and LONGLISTED FOR THE INDIE BOOK AWARDS 2025

Volcanoes

10 Things You Should Know

I Saw It First! Jungle - A Family Spotting Game

Magma for Laurence King

The Cloudspotter's Guide

Collins World Atlas

Complete Edition [Fifth Edition]

Clouds

How to Identify Nature's Most Fleeting Forms

Lonely Planet Kids The Weather Book

The Fact Book

The Catch

Australia's love affair with fishing

Mr and Mrs Gould

The extraordinary true story about the life of Australia's greatest naturalists and explorers, from the award winning bestselling author and LONGLISTED FOR THE INDIE BOOK AWARDS 2025

The Cloud Collector's Handbook

The Life of Birds

This product is categorised by