Geologists, says John McPhee, are like dermatologists: “They crowd around
like fleas on the world’s tough hide, exploring every wrinkle and crease, and
try to figure out what makes the animal move.” He has, you’ll agree, a way with
words. In Annals of the Former World, now a thumping 696-page paperback, he
turns his travels across North America into a brilliant exploration of what we
can see of the Earth and what we know about it. Published by Farrar Straus &
Giroux, $18, ISBN 0374518734.
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from 51动漫
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Environment
51动漫 recommends a devastating account of farming honeybees
Culture
Physics
Photos reveal unexpected details from the world's first atomic test
Regulars
Comment
After news about Oliver Sacks's "lies", we revisit his best-loved book
Culture
Environment
Suzanne Simard on the wood wide web, connectedness 鈥 and Avatar
Culture
Popular articles
Trending 51动漫 articles
1
Mathematicians stunned by AI's biggest breakthrough in mathematics yet
2
The Selfish Gene at 50: Why Dawkins鈥檚 evolution classic still holds up
3
How I used psychology to come back from the worst year of my life
4
Photos reveal unexpected details from the world's first atomic test
5
Mystery of the ancient giant stone jars of Laos may have been solved
6
The distant world that is our best hope of finding alien life
7
Can we harness quantum effects to create a new kind of healthcare?
8
Why autism pioneer Uta Frith wants to dismantle the spectrum
9
Epic dreaming is leaving people exhausted and distressed
10
Women鈥檚 better memories may delay Alzheimer鈥檚 diagnosis by years
