Boston, Little Brown, (1948). A prescient book (1948) by the President of the New York Zoological Society, warning of the effects of the increasing global depletion of natural resources: water, soil, forests, and biodiversity. This copy is inscribed by Osborne: "To Bernice/ with great affection and great appreciation/ Fair./ May, 1948." Less common than it seems, as many "firsts" fail to state "first edition" on the copyright page, and rare signed or inscribed. "With disturbing clarity, this book points out that we are more likely to destroy ourselves in our persistent and world-wide conflict with nature than in any war of weapons yet devised." Light foxing to the edges of the text block; near fine in a near fine dust jacket with light sunning and edge wear. Blurbs by Aldous Huxley and Eleanor Roosevelt, among others. [#036479] SOLD