Jan 15 2009
“Earth: The Biography” by Iain Stewart and John Lynch
Earth: The Biography by Iain Stewart and John Lynch was intellectually stimulating. I know that sounds boring, but just stick with me here.
I had it sitting on my bookshelf for forever (I won’t tell you how long because my boss at work reads this blog sometimes, but believe me, it was a while) and I decided that I was going to clear off all of the books on that shelf that have been there too long. A clean start with the New Years, and all that.
Boy am I glad I did. I love it when I read a book, and walk away having a better understanding of how the universe as a whole works. I knew, in a fuzzy sort of way, that nature is intricately intertwined, and that the world is one giant balancing act, but I don’t think I truly understood it until I read this book.
I think the best part of this book is how it makes the connections between various sciences. It isn’t just about space, or the beginning of life, or the ocean, or volcanoes, or hurricanes, it’s about all of this and more. It’s like the joke we’ve all heard a million times, about the blind men who were each trying to describe an elephant, but were only describing the part that they themselves could feel. Although each blind man was technically getting it right, it’s only when you combine the trunk with the tail, ears, legs, and body that you actually know what an elephant looks like.
I feel like I’ve been learning about each individual part of this world, without being able to “see the big picture.” Earth: The Biography has shown me the big picture.
This book becomes a grand slam when you add in the beautiful pictures and great writing style. I was never bored nor lost even once while reading, which you have to admit is quite the feat, considering I am not a geologist (nor do I play one on TV).
Here’s a quotation I loved:
In his book Time’s Arrow, Time’s Cycle, the esteemed American paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould offered perhaps the most resonant of metaphors, compressing 4.5 billion years of planetary history into a 24-hour day. Our planet’s birth takes place on the stroke after midnight, and the “Cambrian explosion” - in which complex animals first start crawling about - doesn’t happen until 10 p.m.
Dinosaurs don’t show up until after 11 p.m. and are snuffed out 20 minutes before midnight, while modern humans arrive on the scene in the last two seconds of the day. Human civilization - some 6,000 years of empire, art, religion, and politics - is squeezed into the last tenth of a second.
Talk about mind-boggling.
Earth almost makes me wish we could really go hog wild and actually get cable television, so I could watch the National Geographic channel. I think I’d really like it. Unfortunately, I can just see me spending lots of time watching junk instead, so we’d better not. I am a reader, through and through, so perhaps I wouldn’t get as much out of the National Geographic channel as I do the books anyway.
Earth: The Biography wins the rare 5 out of 5 stars rating from me.
Hava
- “Earth: The Biography” by Iain Stewart and John Lynch
- The Tomb of Pope John Paul II
- Alex Wagner-Trugman - “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues” by Elton John - Group 3 - Semifinals - American Idol 8
- Photo of the Day Video Slideshow: John Moore in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley
- Libertarianism and Cowboy Diplomacy, Part 2
I know you’re a reader, but if you ever watch DVDs, let me recommend Planet Earth. There are five or sex of these (I rented them on Netflix and then bought them) and the footage is breathtaking. And the information’s good, too.
I’ll keep my eyes open for this book.
Five or SIX. *sigh* Sorry, my husband’s going out of town a few days.
LOLOL!!! Thanks for the…information, Stephanie.
Actually, we have these DVD’s at the library, but I haven’t checked them out because watching movies means that the husband has to watch them too, and he’s not nearly as “into” all of this stuff as I am. So I just stick to reading books, for the most part.
Thanks for the rec though; maybe I’ll be able to talk my hubby into it some time.
Hava
I second the recommendations for Planet Earth. They’re spectacular pieces, very in-depth, the camera angles are stunning–and you might be able to convince the husband by telling him about the behind-the-scenes segments at the end, detailing the misadventures of some of the photographers. The one with the steerable hot air balloon-thing and their flying record with it is pretty fun, and I liked the one with the particularly inquisitive polar bear. And the sharks….
As for this book: WOW. Definitely on my to-read list.
This is going on to my to-read list
I do have a cable subscription that includes NatGeo, History channel and the like. The thing is, I’ve tuned in a few times when I see a program on a subject I like (mostly things dealing with different religions’ views about the apocalypse, or the books that didn’t make it into the Bible, stuff like that), and I’ve usually been disappointed. They don’t seem to get into the depth I expect, or want … perhaps I’m expecting too much, or maybe they are dumbing down the message, who knows. I wouldn’t worry too much about the shows, and stick to the books
Ravyn >> I can see how watching this kind of thing on TV would be so fascinating. Although pictures are cool, sometimes only seeing something in action makes it truly come alive. You’ll have to tell me if you check the book out - give me your thoughts on it.
Lynne >> I can see that when it comes to religious topics and such. I don’t think watching that sort of thing on TV would have any advantage over reading about it in a book, because they’d have to squish things down to make it all fit into their alloted hour. Dumbing down is right.
Secret of Newton >> LOL!! Don’t worry, I won’t turn into a TV addict anytime soon. I said it on another thread: My husband was gone for almost two weeks, and it wasn’t until he returned that I realized that I didn’t turn the TV on once during that time. The chances of me becoming a TV addict are pretty slim.
I’m so glad that you’re enjoying my posts on here. A geologist, eh? Then you’d really love this book. Obviously a lot of that was covered in it. Very fascinating stuff.
Hava