Islands in Space and Time

American Forests, Autumn, 1997 by Carl Reidel

Writing with the eye of a scientist and the insight of a poet, Campbell describes five sites in South and Central America, four in the United States, and one in Micronesia, with color photos of each. This is a book that attempts to speak hopefully about the future of these places but fails to conceal the author's fear that these bits of paradise are on the brink of oblivion.

This is a bittersweet book full of beauty and disappointment, where the reader discovers remarkable places, only to learn of their imminent loss. The lesson is clear: Pay attention to the special wild places Where you live. They too are vulnerable to development, and once lost are gone forever.