The Hidden Half of Nature

“A beautifully synthesized scientific memoir.” – Barbara Kiser - Nature “A must-read for avid gardeners, those interested in bolstering our precarious food supply, or anyone remotely concerned about their health and the soil under their feet.” – Kirkus Reviews “The Hidden Half of Nature offers a wonderfully fresh and exquisitely informed approach that could change how we relate to ourselves, our diets, our gardens and our world.” – Tim McNulty - Seattle Times “Montgomery and Bikle argue that when we farm and when we eat, we’re feeding a diverse community of microorganisms. This book is sure to become a game-changing guide to the future of good food and healthy landscapes.” – Dan Barber, chef and author of The Third Plate “[A] transformative read.” – Tom Philpott - Mother Jones “The Hidden Half of Nature draws a straight line from the microbes that live in healthy soil to those that live in healthy guts, skillfully blending the personal and the scientific. This is a must-read for anyone concerned with their own health.” – Amy Stewart, author of The Drunken Botanist “Amazingly detailed and well-researched. … [The Hidden Half of Nature] lays out the beautiful connection between the microbial garden in our bodies and the microbial garden in the Earth.” – Sally Peterson - Oregon Live “The Hidden Half of Nature reads like a fast-paced novel but tells the true story of the workings of soils, and even our own bodies.” – Neil Shubin, author of The Universe Within “One of the year’s best books on gardens and health.” – Jim McCausland - Sunset Magazine

David R. Montgomery is a professor of Earth and space sciences at the University of Washington. He studies the evolution of topography and the influence of geomorphological processes on ecological systems and human societies. He received a BS from Stanford University (1984, geology) and a PhD from UC Berkeley (1991, geomorphology). His field studies have included projects around the world and he is an elected Fellow of the American Geophysical Union.

He has received many awards throughout his career, including a MacArthur Fellowship and the Vega Medal. His books Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations, King of Fish: The Thousand-Year Run of Salmon, and The Rocks Don’t Lie: A Geologist Investigates Noah’s Flood have all won the Washington State Book Award in General Nonfiction. Montgomery’s Growing a Revolution: Bringing Our Soil Back to Life was a finalist for the PEN/E. O. Wilson Award for Literary Science Writing. He also coauthored with Anne Biklé The Hidden Half of Nature and What Your Food Ate: How to Heal Our Land and Reclaim Our Health. Most recently, he published his case for regenerative agriculture, Regen: A New Future for Farming, Food, and Health. His books have been translated into eleven languages. He is also a coauthor of the textbook Essentials of Physical Geography with W. W. Norton.

Anne Biklé is a biologist and environmental planner. Her career spans the fields of environmental stewardship, habitat restoration, and public health. The Hidden Half of Nature is her first book.

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