This book brings together a set of readings that throw light on the relationship between people and the environment. The editors introduce the concept of "environmental discourses" - explanations of the world around us - to help readers understand why human-environmental relationships take on the forms that they do. By using this concept as a unifying theme for the Reader, the editors show that the environment is as much a social construct as a physical presence. This collection of key primary documents and secondary texts comprises observations, analyses and descriptions of environmental histories and contemporary environmental debates. The Reader can be used in conjunction with the editors' textbook Environmental Discourses and Practice: An Introduction or independently as an indispensable resource for all students of the environment.