McPhee doesn't just write about science, he writes about people who apply and sometimes defy science in their struggle to control nature and protect themselves from the inevitable. Blending the best of Sunday-paper feature writing with the drama and penetrating insight of a fine novelist, his style is instantly addictive and immensely appealing. Timely in its science yet timeless in its depiction of the nature of man, "The Control of Nature" is exemplary writing and classic McPhee.