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, where he studies the evolution of topography and the influence of geomorphological processes on ecological systems and human societies. He holds a BS in geology from Stanford University and a PhD in geomorphology from UC Berkeley. His fieldwork has taken him to diverse locations including the Philippines, eastern Tibet, South America, California, and the Pacific Northwest.

Montgomery is an elected Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and has been honored with numerous awards, such as a MacArthur Fellowship and the Vega Medal. He is the author of several acclaimed books:

• Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations
• King of Fish: The Thousand-Year Run of Salmon
• The Rocks Don’t Lie: A Geologist Investigates Noah’s Flood

All three of these titles have received the Washington State Book Award in General Nonfiction. His book Growing a Revolution: Bringing Our Soil Back to Life was a finalist for the PEN/E. O. Wilson Award for Literary Science Writing.

He has also coauthored two books with Anne Biklé:

• The Hidden Half of Nature
• What Your Food Ate: How to Heal Our Land and Reclaim Our Health

His works have been translated into ten languages. Additionally, Montgomery is a coauthor of the textbook Essentials of Physical Geography.

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

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