Salmon Wars: The Battle for the West Coast Salmon Book

McEvoy's thorough, well-researched, and not at all interesting examination of fishery issues in California that led to the passage of the 1976 FCMA constitutes a good case application of Garrett Hardin's "Tragedy of the Commons" problem. In short, the book presents a compelling but not especially sophisticated argument for increased sensitivity to environmental problems: brute self-interest will lead only to devastation. I'm really amazed at how readable this book was, given its subject matter (McEvoy himself says that he is following Robert Wiebe's injunction to write in simple prose so that laypeople can avail themselves of scholarly research).