There are many things I like about this book. One is just the subject matter. I like to read about the inner workings of the earth, volcanoes, plate tectonics, the forming and breakup of super continents. Fortey does a good job of explaining current theory and telling about what it is based upon, as well as relating the history of thought about geological matters. it was written in 2004, so it should be fairly up to date, and if you are interested in the subject at all I would recommend it. The explanation of the large theories is good.

No so good is - there is a chart of the ages - Cambrian, etc. at the back. Unfortunately, I didn't notice til almost the end, and it would have been helpful if he had given a brief explanation every so often of when an age occurred, or referred to the chart. There is a lot of description of rocks occurring in layers, that would have been more useful to me had I known more about them. (Basically I know there are sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic) But for the most part I was content to skip over details to get the large picture. Only, towards the end I got a bit impatient with it.

I feel like I want to do a bit of studying, and then come back to this some time. ( )

"An awesome vista of geological time suddenly opens up before us, a vision of age after age of mountain-building, of continents remaking themselves, stretching far back into the distant reaches of the Precambrian. It should provoke a sense of our own insignificance, but it also stimulates a sense of wonder that we, alone among organisms, have been privileged to see these vanished worlds, and challenged to understand the immensity of time. A sudden squall makes us shiver, and turn up our collars."

This book is a delight. I chose it nearly at random, looking for a new popular science book -- I have no background in geology. Now I'm interested, where I wasn't before. Like the best popular science, it opens the layperson's eyes to a better understanding of the world, and gives one a glimpse of what it must be like to really know its particular field well.

Fortey is obviously trying to appeal to a broad readership, and I think he nearly succeeds. He takes pains, for instance, to explain that scientists whose ideas turned out to be wrong were not necessarily any less wise or important than those whose ideas turned out to be right. (Anyone who understands the scientific method shouldn't need to learn that lesson.) He's very good at incorporating human touches to the course of scientific history, both his own and others', and the book is surprisingly easy reading considering the amount of detail. Yet I suspect the subject matter is probably too dry for most, despite his efforts.

The chapters are organised by theme -- volcanoes, mountains, minerals, continents, etc. This works well, and means that the early chapters aren't just about old, discredited theories. It would probably be possible to dip in and out of the book without getting too lost.

The only criticism I would level is that his attempts to convey the "immensity of time" get him into trouble. What is described in one chapter as ever-changing, in slow but inevitable flux, is described in the next as permanent, eternal. Fortey's enthusiasm occasionally runs away with him, and he gets a bit self-contradictory.

This is only in regard to our perceptions of things, however. On the science itself, he is (so far as I can tell) rigorous, and he is certainly accessible. A great book. ( )

Richard Fortey is a great science writer. This one starts a bit slow, but gets better and better as you read on - so don't give up in the first two chapters! It is very entertaining and on the way you get a crash course in 101 Geology (or maybe 202?). ( )

This is a popular science book that attempts to cover as much as possible about geology, including its historical development, a huge variety of its aspects of study, and, almost, a global summary of the Earths geology. In a sense, Fortey tries to follow in the footsteps of few famous world geological summaries of the past, but, he is doing it for a wide audience. To make it work, Fortey tries to write it as a tour. It's a terrific effort.

His tour includes wonderful parts on the evolution of geological theories on mountain building, plate tectonics, the Alps and the Appalachian-Caledonian chain; a 40 page summary of the geology around the world. He also covers Pompeii, Hawaii, Newfoundland, Scotland, Norway, India's Decan Flats, the San Adreas Fault, and endless topics such as valuable metals, igneous rocks, radiometric dating, ancient gneisses, the deep earth, etc. From my point of view, with a geology degree, Fortey was a great find. He provides a stepping stone to so many mysteries.

Fortey writes with a mixture of awe and facts. His language is accessible. To his credit, despite the popular tone, he seems to take very seriously getting the facts correct, at least as far as I could tell. But, it's a dense book full of details. If he doesn't capture you early in a chapter, then it's tough to read through. How accessible is this book for someone without a geology education? I'm not sure. Despite the nice language, readers may still drown in the geologic terms and the endless details. Certainly, it will be slow going.

I think it’s interesting to compare this to John Mcphee's "Annals of the Former World" (Pulitzer Prize, 1998) which, although it focuses on US geology, serves the same sort of purpose as an introduction to geology. "Annals" was immensely successful, both interesting and accessible to anyone. Mcphee created this collection by writing about people, working geologists. So, he avoids the details and lets the subject guide what is covered and what isn't. In other words, Mcphee is essentially a journalist, a nonfiction writer who wrote about geology. He captures the reader first, and gives the facts later, albeit only a sampling of facts

Fortey, on the other hand, is a professional paleontologist who writes. He writes very well, and geologically his book is so much richer than Mcphee’s books. He brings in his own valuable experiences, and he undresses the world in a way Mcphee never does. But, Fortey's book isn't as successful, it's a tough read and, while he can certainly grab you, he doesn't always.

One nice thing about this book is you don’t need to read it all the way through. I think a reader can pick up a chapter anywhere and get along. Each chapter has a nice intro and interesting, thoughtful conclusion. My favorite is this conclusion to the plate tectonics chapter: "Mankind is no more than a parasitic tick gorging himself on temporary plenty while the seas are low and climate comparatively clement. But the present arrangement of land and sea will change, and with it our brief supremacy. ( )