Acknowledgments
IN A LETTER written in January 1958, Olga Owens Huckins told me of he r own bitter
experience of a small world made lifeless , and s o brought my atte ntion s harply back to a
problem with which I had long been concerned. I the n realized I must write this book.
During the yea rs s ince then I have received help and encourageme nt f rom s o many people that
it is not pos sible to name them all here. Thos e who have freely s hared with me the fruits of
many years ’ experience and s tudy repres ent a wide variety of government agencies in this and
othe r countries , many unive rs ities and res earch ins titutions , and many profes s ions. To all of
the m I expres s my deepes t thanks for time and thought s o generous ly given.
In addition my s pecial gratitude goes to thos e who took ti me to read portions of the manus cript
and to offer comment and criticism bas ed on thei r own expe rt knowledge. Although the final
responsibility for the accuracy and validity of the tex t is mine, I could not have complete d the
book without the generous help of thes e s pecialis ts : L. G. Bartholomew, M.D., of the Mayo
Clinic, John J. Bies ele of the Univers ity of Texas , A. W. A. Brown of the Univers ity of Wes tern
Ontario, Morton S. Bis kind, M.D., of Wes tport, Connecticut, C. J. Briejer of the Plant Protection
Service in Holland, Clarence Cottam of the Rob and Bessie Welder Wildlife Foundation, George
Crile, Jr., M.D., of the Cleveland Clinic, Frank Egler of Norfolk, Connecticut, Malcolm M.
Hargraves, M.D., of the Mayo Clinic, W. C. Hueper, M.D., of the National Cancer Institute, C. J.
Kerswill of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada, Olaus Murie of the Wilderness Society, A. D.
Pickett of the Canada Department of Agriculture, Thomas G. Scott of the Illinois Natural History
Survey, Clarence Tarzwell of the Taft Sanitary Engineering Center, and George J. Wallace of
Michigan State Univers ity. Every writer of a book bas ed on many divers e facts owes much to
the s kill and helpfulnes s of librarians. I owe s uch a debt to many, but es pecially to Ida K.
Johns ton of the Depa rtment of the Interior Library and to Thelma Robi ns on of the Libra ry of the
National Institutes of Health.
As my editor, Paul Brooks has given s teadfas t encouragement ove r the years and has
cheerfully accommodated his plans to pos tponeme nts and delays. For this , and for his s killed
editorial judgment, I am everlastingly grateful. I have had capable and devoted as s is tance in the
enormous task of library research from Dorothy Algire, Jeanne Davis, and Bette Haney Duff.
And I could not pos s ibly have completed the tas k, under circums tances s ometimes difficult,
except for the faithful help of my hous ekeepe r, Ida Sprow.
Finally, I mus t acknowledge our vas t indebtednes s to a hos t of people, many of them
unk nown to me pers onally, who have nevertheless made the writing of this book seem
worthwhile. These are the people who first spoke out agains t the reckles s and irres pons ible
pois oning of the world that man s hares with all other creatures , and who are even now fighting
the thous ands of s mall battles that in the e nd will bring victory for s anity and common s ens e in
our accommodation to the world that s urrounds us.
RACHEL CARSON