Skip to content
Home/ Vanished: An Unnatural History of Extinction
Vanished: An Unnatural History of Extinction

Vanished: An Unnatural History of Extinction

No customer reviews yet ISBN 9780241352106

'A vital and important book' - David Olusoga

From an award-winning historian of race, science and empire, a path-breaking and poignant history of extinction as a scientific idea, an imperial legacy and a political choice


Anyone alive today is among a tiny fraction of the once living: over 90% of species that ever existed are now extinct. How did we come to think of ourselves as survivors in a world where species can vanish forever, or as capable of pushing our planet to the verge of a sixth mass extinction?

Extinction, Sadiah Qureshi shows us, is a surprisingly modern concept - and a phenomenon that's not as natural as we might think. In Europe until the late eighteenth century, species were considered perfect and unchanging creations of God. Then in the age of revolutions, scientists gathered enough fossil evidence to determine that mammoth bones, for example, were not just large elephants but a lost species that once roamed the Earth alongside ancient humans. Extinction went from being regarded as theologically dangerous to pervasive, and even inevitable.

Yet Vanished shows us that extinction is more than a scientific idea; it's a political choice that has led to devasting consequences. Europeans and Americans quickly used the notion that extinction was a natural process to justify persecution and genocide, predicting that nations from Newfoundland's Beothuk to Aboriginal Australians were doomed to die out from imperial expansion.

Exploring the tangled and unnatural histories of extinction and empire, Vanished weaves together pioneering original research and breath-taking storytelling to show us extinction is both an evolutionary process and a human act: one which illuminates our past, and may alter our future.

About the author

Product details

Pub dateSep 9, 2025
ISBN-10024135210X
ISBN-139780241352106
LanguageEnglish
Last updated 2026-03-16 15:20
$39.80 $56.99 30% off
You save $17.19 · list price $56.99
In stock soon — order now to reserve your copy
Delivery by Monday, September 14, 2026
Qty
Sign in to Add to Saved list
Free delivery on orders over $35.
15-day returns. Any reason.
Secure checkout. We never store card details.

Readers who bought this also bought

More from Endangered Species
See all
Suppressing Over-Abundant Invasive Plants and Insects in Natural Areas by Use of Their Specialized N
Biological control has long been used against invasive plants and, less often, invasive insects, in forests, aquatic systems, grasslands, coastal areas, riparian areas, islands, and other biomes or habitats of conservation concern. Historically, motivation for such efforts has shifted gradually away from economic interests toward ecological protection for its own sake. Future projects of this type will require better integration of biological control into conservation practice, a better understanding by societies of the reasons for such work and its possible risks and benefits, as well as continued, consistent public funding. Examples of successful projects in high-value conservation areas (Everglades, Galápagos, oceanic islands, wetlands, forests) are discussed, and future challenges and caveats mentioned. <p/> Environmentalists, nature conservationists, scientists, forestry personnel, USDA employees, and others interested in biological control would be interested in this publication. Additionally, students pursuing coursework, and research for Natural Resource Management degree programs may be interested in this work. <p/> Related products: <br><b>Plants resources collection </b>can be found here: https: //bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/plants <p/><b>Major Forest Insect and Disease Conditions in the United States: 2013 </b>is available here: https: //bookstore.gpo.gov/products/major-forest-insect-and-disease-conditions-united-states-2013 <p/><b>Forest Health Monitoring: National Status, Trends, and Analysis 2015 </b>can be found here: https: //bookstore.gpo.gov/products/forest-health-monitoring-national-status-trends-and-analysis-2015 <p/> Other products produced by the <b>United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service </b>are available here: https: //bookstore.gpo.gov/agency/us-forest-service <p/>
$26.29