The Ruins of Earth

Man is at last waking up to the terrible damage he is inflicting on his environment. The various routes to disaster have already been charted.But the damage still goes on.This collection of stories by leading science-fiction writers — each committed to a human vision of society — attempts to take the ecological inquiry one stage further. To indicate why we are destroying our world — and what the possible consequences for us all may be.Contents:- Introduction (1971) by Thomas M. DischPart 1: The Way It Is- Deer in the Works (1955) by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.- Three Million Square Miles (1971) by Gene Wolfe- Closing with Nature (1970) by Norman RushPart 2: Why It Is The Way It Is- The Plot to Save the World (1970) by Michael Brownstein- Autofac (1955) by Philip K. Dick- Roommates (1971) by Harry Harrison- Groaning Hinges of the World (1971) by R.A. LaffertyPart 3: How It Could Get Worse- Gas Mask (1964) by James D. Houston- Wednesday, November 15, 1967 (1971) by George Alec Effinger- The Cage of Sand (1962) by J.G. Ballard- Accident Vertigo (1971) by Kenward Elmslie- The Birds (1973) by Thomas M. Disch [see below]Part 4: Unfortunate Solutions- Do It for Mama! (1971) by Jerrold Mundis- The Dreadful Has Already Happened (1971) by Norman Kagan- The Shaker Revival (1970) by Gerald Jonas- America the Beautiful (1970) by Fritz LeiberThis edition does NOT contain The Birds by Daphne du Maurier, but instead a work of the same title by Disch. This was due to copyright reasons.