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Annals of the Former World
Annals of the Former World | John McPhee
4 posts | 4 read | 15 to read
The Pulitzer Prize-winning view of the continent, across the fortieth parallel and down through 4.6 billion years Twenty years ago, when John McPhee began his journeys back and forth across the United States, he planned to describe a cross section of North America at about the fortieth parallel and, in the process, come to an understanding not only of the science but of the style of the geologists he traveled with. The structure of the book never changed, but its breadth caused him to complete it in stages, under the overall title Annals of the Former World. Like the terrain it covers, Annals of the Former World tells a multilayered tale, and the reader may choose one of many paths through it. As clearly and succinctly written as it is profoundly informed, this is our finest popular survey of geology and a masterpiece of modern nonfiction. Annals of the Former World is the winner of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction.
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cant_i'm_booked
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Sometimes you wonder: if you‘d read a certain book earlier/at a certain point in your life, would it have sent you on an entirely different path (career, relationship, country of residence)? If I‘d read this book in college, I‘d have switched majors and become a geologist. Its an astounding five-volume exploration, along US I-80, of the geological forces that have formed (and are forming) our planet. The best natural science book I‘ve come across.

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cant_i'm_booked
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The latest book binge from a bookstore we came across while on a road trip to San Luis Obispo. Nothing is more satisfying than loading up the car trunk with new reads!

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Aimpat
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Wonderful geological tour of the U.S., with some astouding tales of California's unsteady ground.

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angrylilasian
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Another book that I've had for years but haven't read because I want to be able to dedicate all my attention to it. Get lost in it. That just isn't possible with two little ones. 😄 I love the way John McPhee writes. So I'll just keep dusting it off and hope that one day I'll be able to get to it. #booksaboutnature #readjanuary @RealLifeReading

RealLifeReading One day! 7y
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