
The Earth
An Intimate History
Richard Fortey(Author)
HarperPerennial (Publisher)
Published on 7. March 2005
Book
Paperback/Softback
528 pages
978-0-00-655137-9 (ISBN)
Description
The paperback of the Sunday Times bestseller that reveals how the earth became the shape it is today. This book will change the way you see the world - permanently.
The face of the earth, criss-crossed by chains of mountains like the scars of old wounds, has changed constantly over billions of years. Its shape records a remote past of earthquakes, volcanos and continental drift, and the ongoing subtle shifts that bring our planet alive.
Richard Fortey introduces us to the earth's distinct character, revealing the life that it leads when humans aren't watching. He follows the continual movement of seabeds, valleys, mountain ranges and ice caps and shows how everything - our culture, natural history, even the formation of our cities - has its roots in geology. In Richard Fortey's hands, geology becomes vital and exhilarating and unmistakably informs our lives in the most intimate way.
The face of the earth, criss-crossed by chains of mountains like the scars of old wounds, has changed constantly over billions of years. Its shape records a remote past of earthquakes, volcanos and continental drift, and the ongoing subtle shifts that bring our planet alive.
Richard Fortey introduces us to the earth's distinct character, revealing the life that it leads when humans aren't watching. He follows the continual movement of seabeds, valleys, mountain ranges and ice caps and shows how everything - our culture, natural history, even the formation of our cities - has its roots in geology. In Richard Fortey's hands, geology becomes vital and exhilarating and unmistakably informs our lives in the most intimate way.
Reviews / Votes
A dazzling achievement. Richard Fortey is without peer among science writers. -- Bill Bryson Books with a title this ambitious generally do not live up to their billing. This one does. * New Scientist * "The Earth" is a true delight: full of awe-inspiring details...it blends travel, history, reportage and science to create an unforgettable picture of our ancient earth. * Sunday Times * Read this book because it is, indeed, the best natural history of the first four billion years of life on earth. -- John Gribbin * Sunday Times * Praise for 'The Hidden Landscape': Don't drop dead until you have read "The Hidden Landscape". -- Jonathan Keates * Observer * Praise for 'Life: An unauthorised Biography': This is not a book for people who like science books. It is a book for people who love books, and life... [Fortey] has written a wonderful book. -- Tim Radford * Guardian *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers
Product notice
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Paperback (UK-B)
Illustrations
54 b/w, 24 col plates (32pp), Index
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 40 mm
Weight
395 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-00-655137-9 (9780006551379)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
10/2010
HarperCollins
€13.61
Available for download
Person
Richard Fortey spent his working life in palaeontology at the Natural History Museum, specialising in trilobites and becoming a world expert. He was elected President of the Geological Society of London for its bicentennial year of 2007 and is a Fellow of the Royal Society and of the Royal Society of Literature. He has received the Frink Medal, the Michael Faraday Prize and the Lewis Thomas Prize for science writing, as well as the silver medal of the Zoological Society for science communication. He is the writer of eight previous science and nature books, including two Sunday Times bestsellers, all of which are still in print. He has presented many television programmes across the BBC and other channels.