#7 in Nature & environment
Silent Spring
- 336
- Pages
- about 6 h
- Reading time
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Our view
Six decades on, “Silent Spring” still reads as an urgent, clearly argued warning about what pesticides do to the living world. Carson documents the damage done by unchecked DDT spraying and accuses the chemical industry of misleading the public, with examples a non-scientist can follow. Some readers find parts of it frightening; others wish for more technical detail. It is read today as a founding text of the environmental movement.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
Silent Spring is an environmental science book by Rachel Carson. Published on September 27, 1962, the book documented the environmental harm caused by the indiscriminate use of DDT, a pesticide used by soldiers during World War II. Carson accused the chemical industry of spreading disinformation, and public officials of accepting the industry's marketing claims unquestioningly.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.9 across 149 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 50% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Nature & environment average of 8.1. That is how 8.1 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.0 | 19 | 13% |
| Google Books | 8.0 | 29 | 20% |
| Hardcover | 7.8 | 101 | 68% |
Frequently asked
How long is Silent Spring?
It has 336 pages — longer than 50% of the ranked books in Nature & environment.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Nature & environment — with scores between 8.0 and 8.2, closest to this book.
