Let There Be Night: Testimony on Behalf of the DarkPaul Bogard The development of the modern world has brought with it rampant light pollution, destroying the ancient mystery of night and exacting a terrible price--wasted energy, damage to human health, and the sometimes fatal interruption of the life patterns of many species of wildlife. In Let There Be Night, twenty-nine writers, scientists, poets, and scholars share their personal experiences of night and help us to understand what we miss when dark skies and nocturnal wildness vanish. They also propose ways by which we might restore the beneficence of true night skies to our cities and our culture. Let There Be Night is an engaging examination, both intimate and enlightening, of a precious aspect of the natural world. The diverse voices and perceptions gathered here provide a statement of hope that he ancient magic of night can be returned to our lives. |
Contents
Why Dark Skies? | 1 |
KATHLEEN DEAN MOORE The Gifts of Darkness | 11 |
DAVID GESSNER Trespassing on Night | 18 |
SUSAN HANSON Deep in the Heart | 30 |
JAN DEBLIEU Ode to Jeff Cobb | 49 |
CHET RAYMO Why the Night Sky Is Dark 1 | 61 |
CHRISTOPHER COKINOS A Backyard History of Light | 68 |
MICHAEL P BRANCH Ladder to the Pleiades | 74 |
VII | 129 |
ANNE MATTHEWS The Sound of Falling Snow | 131 |
GARY HARRISON Night Light | 143 |
MARK TREDINNICK Original Country | 150 |
FOX Night in Mind | 159 |
ROBIN WALL KIMMERER Nightfall | 167 |
JANISSE RAY Against Eternal Day | 179 |
SCOTT RUSSELL SANDERS From Earths Body | 185 |
ALISON HAWTHORNE DEMING The Month of Mornings | 87 |
RAY GONZALEZ The Desert Night | 95 |
PHILIP HISCOCK Night Folklore in Newfoundland | 101 |
ROBERT MICHAEL PYLE Nocturne with Moths | 110 |
GRETCHEN LEGLER Acquainted with the Night | 123 |
JENNIFER H WESTERMAN Heart of the Sky | 193 |
What the Solution | 199 |
CONTRIBUTORS | 209 |
RESOURCES | 217 |
Copyright | |