Smoke and Mirrors The Politics and Culture of Air Pollution

"[A] fascinating, provocative, pathbreaking book. . . . Air pollution can no longer be understood simply as an issue of economics, science, and engineering, but one that implicates fundamental values and controversies surrounding justice, fairness, and the construction of knowledge." - Gary Bryner,author of From Promises to Performance: Achieving Global Environmental Goals "Essential reading for social environmental historians, environmental scientists, cultural and social historians, and public policy specialists." - Bill Luckin,author of Pollution and Control "The well-told stories in its diverse chapters provide lessons for today as we continue to struggle to curb urban air pollution and its health effects." - Jonathan Samet,coeditor of Indoor Air Pollution: A Health Perspective "This collection of richly detailed and pioneering essays will be welcomed as a major contribution . . . providing a broad-ranging and multifaceted overview of the history of society's reaction to and struggle to protect itself from air-borne industrial toxins." - Christine Rosen,author of The Limits of Power "This excellent collection offers a complex and nuanced introduction to a field that intersects with many others, including studies of social stratification and social movements." - Graig Willse,City University of New York "Arguing the importance of the social dimensions of air pollution issues, this collection of 15 original essays addresses a wide range of topics ranging from the perception of the pollution in Victorian England to automotive pollution control in prewar Germany to pesticide drift in modern California. Several essays are provocative. well written, and richly detailed; others are vignettes." (Choice)