An unconventional history of Philadelphia that operates at the threshold of cultural and environmental studies, A Greene Country Towne expands the meaning of community beyond people to encompass nonhuman beings, things, and forces.

By examining a diverse range of cultural acts and material objects created in Philadelphia--from Native American artifacts, early stoves, and literary works to public parks, photographs, and paintings--through the lens of new materialism, the essays in A Greene Country Towne ask us to consider an urban environmental history in which...