Science & Math
Earth Sciences
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The Greywacke: How a Priest, a Soldier and a School Teacher Uncovered 300 Million Years of History
Adam Sedgwick was a priest and scholar. Roderick Murchison was a retired soldier. Charles Lapworth was a schoolteacher. It was their personal and intellectual rivalry, pursued on treks through Wales, Scotland, Cornwall, Devon and parts of western Russia, that revealed the narrative structure of the Paleozoic Era, the 300-million-year period during which life on Earth became recognisably itself. Nick Davidson follows in their footsteps and draws on maps, diaries, letters, field notes and contemporary accounts to bring the ideas and characters alive. But this is more than a history of geology. As we travel through some of the most spectacular scenery in Britain, it's a celebration of the sheer visceral pleasure generations of geologists have found, and continue to find, in noticing the earth beneath our feet.
Editorial Reviews
'An invaluable addition to the genre of historical geology' -Geoscientist
'A colourful and joyous romp' -John Wright, author of The Forager's Calendar
'A joyful collision of science, history and nature writing' Helen Gordon, author of Notes from Deep Time
'A colourful and joyous romp' -John Wright, author of The Forager's Calendar
'A joyful collision of science, history and nature writing' Helen Gordon, author of Notes from Deep Time
Readers Top Reviews
alapper
This is one of the best written books I have read in a long time. At first sight the title seemed rather dull but I was surprised at how the story of the discovery of the geological time series of events gripped me. As another reviewer has said it is a real page turner. The three main characters involved are really brought to life - Sedgewick with his ailments and intellect, Murchison with his energy and vanity and Lapworth with his painstaking work and brilliance. The country is also brought to life as the author has visited many of the scenes and sites involved. Overall there is the intellectual excitement of the discoveries and the book is clearly the result of a considerable research effort by the author.. There are some good illustrations and stratigraphic columns but some more maps to illustrate the story would have been useful.
Mrs. S. Birchall
I was surprised at the way I found this book impossible to put down once I started to read it. Even with only the sketchiest knowledge of geology it was very readable. A few more photos and maps would have been appreciated but the most helpful were the ever-changing stratigraphic tables. It was an extraordinary time in the history of modern geology and was portrayed in this very well-researched book. A thoroughly enjoyable read. I learnt a lot from it.
