Because exposures are concentrated along the coastal zone,geological and sedimentological studies are mainly confinedthere. The inland part is mainly covered by geomorphologicalstudies in which satellite imagery plays an increasing role.Although the book appears to promise an up-to-date overviewthat is not the case, owing to selective referencing.This should not deter anyone with an interest in Ireland’s

Quaternary from getting a copy. It is not just a beautiful book:by its very nature it will lead to discussions and entice furtherstudies.

JAAP JM VAN DER MEERQueen Mary, University of London, UK

Published online in Wiley InterScience(www.interscience.wiley.com)

DOI: 10.1002/jqs.1216

Darkening peaks. Glacier retreat, science andsociety. B. Orlove, E. Wiegandt and B. H. Luckman(eds). Publisher: University of California Press, Berkeley,CA, 2008 (282 pp.) $45.00 ISBN: 978-0-520-25305-6

This beautifully produced volume arose from contributions tothe Wengen 2004 Workshop on Mountain Glaciers andSociety. The twenty contributions fall into five sections:(1) societal perceptions: cultures and institutions; (2) scientificobservations: measurement, monitoring and modelling;(3) trends in natural landscapes: climate change; (4) impactson human landscapes: resources, hazards and cultural land-scapes; and (5) responses: adaptation and accommodation.The common theme of this wide-ranging volume is the retreatof mountain glaciers from their Little Ice Age maxima and thesocietal implications thereof.It is difficult in a brief review to do justice to this collection,

and the success with which it marries hard science (glacierfluctuations, climate change and mass-balance modelling)with changing perceptions of glaciers and the economic andsocial implications of glacier retreat (water resources, hazards,tourism). Glaciologists and Quaternary scientists will findadmirable chapters summarising aspects of recent glacial his-tory in Norway, the Alps, Kilimanjaro and New Zealand. Geo-graphers, historians and social scientists will discoverfascinating relationships between mountain glaciers and socie-ties. A volume that encompasses energy balance equations,Maori mythology and outburst flood hazards in Nepal mightappear incongruous, but most of the chapters are not only suc-cinct scientific syntheses but also cogent reminders that gla-ciers determine the livelihood, prosperity and well-being ofthose living in glaciated mountains, and the detrimental effectsof glacier shrinkage or disappearance on the welfare and econ-omy of such communities.This is a fascinating and stimulating volume that will com-

mend itself to all with interests in the causes and consequencesof Anthropocene environmental change; a wonderful referencefor those whose teaching and research interests encompassaspects of applied glaciology; and a thumping good read. Theprice is generous and the quality of production is outstanding.

COLIN BALLANTYNEUniversity of St Andrews, Scotland

Published online in Wiley InterScience(www.interscience.wiley.com)

DOI: 10.1002/jqs.1213

British regional geology: Wales. M. F. Howells (ed.).Publisher: British Geological Survey, Keyworth, 2007(230 pp. and folded map) £18.00 ISBN 978-0-85272-584-9

The British Regional Geology series has a distinguished pedi-gree, for many years providing a series of succinct and informa-tive introductions to the geology of the British Isles at a regionalscale. Prior to this book’s publication Wales was treated in twoseparate volumes, both of which were last revised some yearsago, so an up-to-date, single-volume overview of the geologyof Wales is most welcome. As with previous editions thebook takes a strictly chronological approach, working its wayup the geological column. The penultimate chapter is on theCainozoic, within which the Quaternary is covered in just15 pages. The final chapter, ‘Geology and man’, covers therecord of human presence from the Stone Age to the Industri-al Age.A Quaternary scientist looking for a quick primer on the regio-

nal pre-Quaternary geology of an area will often turn first to therelevant volume in the British Regional Geology series and thisvolume provides an excellent introduction to the Principality,with a scattering of references that can be followed up if moredetails are needed. It is not itself a detailed account and it is cer-tainly not a field guide; there are no site descriptions and onlylimited specific information on sections or boreholes is providedin a few places. The section on the Quaternary is very short butdoes enough to give a flavour of the wide range of geologicaland geomorphological data that is to be found in Wales.The volume is nicely illustrated in full colour with numerous

maps, diagrams and over 50 photographs throughout thevolume. It also has a folded 1:625 000 scale solid geologymap in a pocket in the inside back cover. If you are after anintroduction to the geology of Wales this volume is an idealstarting point.

SIMON LEWISQueen Mary, University of London, UK

Published online in Wiley InterScience(www.interscience.wiley.com)

DOI: 10.1002/jqs.1214

Sustainability or collapse? An integrated historyand future of people on Earth. R. Costanza, L. J.Graumlich and W. Steffin (eds). Publisher: MIT Press,Cambridge, MA, 2007 (495 pp.) £25.00 ISBN: 978-0-262-03366-4

This volume arises out of the 96th Dahlem Workshop held inBerlin in 2005, which examined the potential and mechanismsfor developing a ‘fully integrated history of humans and therest of nature’, bringing together an interdisciplinary group of34 scholars from the humanities, social sciences and sciences.This was designed to provide the basis for a future project,IHOPE, Integrated History and future Of People on Earth.The book comprises five sections arranged according todifferent timescales – Millennial, Centennial, Decadal andFuture – preceded by an Introduction. Each section has a num-ber of case studies of variable scope and length, concluded by aGroup Report that seeks to establish general themes and futuredirections. Because of the wide scope and interdisciplinary nat-ure of the project, the individual chapters range from ‘Climate,Complexity, and Problem Solving in the Roman Empire’ to

Copyright � 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. J. Quaternary Sci., Vol. 23(6-7) 703–706 (2008)

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