Annals of the Former World by John McPhee

John McPhee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book ‘Annals of the Former World’ is a masterful exploration of the Earth’s geology and deep understanding of its structure. McPhee writes with exacting detail and a clear, accessible style that makes his work suitable for both scientific and lay audiences.

The book follows McPhee as he journeys across the continent, visiting with some of the world’s foremost geologists. He explains the core principles of plate tectonics, the nature of the continental drift and other fundamental concepts in the field. He describes how the Earth’s landscape has been shaped by the seismic activity of its volcanic innards and how the forces of erosion have created infinitely varied landforms.

To further illustrate his points, McPhee shares stories of geologists’ landmark discoveries. He recounts the story of Alfred Wegener’s ‘continental drift’ theory and its slow acceptance by many mainstream geologists. He describes how the discovery of fossil records disproved the ‘catastrophic flood’ theory and opened up new avenues of discovery. McPhee delves into other branches of planetary study, including mineralogy, volcanology, paleontology and seismology.

Descriptions of geologic time, its divisions, eras and epochs are abundant in the book. McPhee gives a detailed overview of era-defining events such as the collision between India and Asia, which formed the Himalayas, and the eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano, which left a massive crater extending across several US states. He dives into the Cambrian Explosion, when complex and diverse forms of life began to appear.

McPhee offers keen insight into the heated debates of the research community. He examines the ongoing controversy over the ‘radiometric dating’ method and how it compares to interpretations of traditional geologic measurements. He also provides fascinating accounts of past geological controversies, such as whether volcanoes are set off by deep-earth pressure or from meteors or asteroids hitting the ocean floor.

In addition to being informative, Annals of the Former World is also a thoroughly entertaining read, with McPhee engaging in a lively dialogue with his interview subjects throughout. For anyone interested in the science of Earth’s natural history, this book is a must-read. Through McPhee’s words, readers gain an understanding of how science continues to evolve and how new ideas become accepted. Essential to scientific understanding, Annals of the Former World is an essential component of any collection of scientific literature.