- Hardcover: 624 pages
- Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux Inc (30 Jun 1998)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0374105200
- ISBN-13: 978-0374105204
- Product Dimensions: 23.7 x 16.4 x 5.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
1,179,761 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #78 in Books > Science & Nature > Earth Sciences & Geography > Geology > Historical Geology
- #84 in Books > Science & Nature > Earth Sciences & Geography > Earth History
- See Complete Table of Contents
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More About the Author
Product Description
From the Publisher
Awards and more acclaim for ANNALS OF THE FORMER WORLD:
* WINNER of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize in General Non-Fiction
* WINNER of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize in General Non-Fiction
"A work of such scope and seeming inevitability that it feels as predetermined as a mountain range." --David Ulin, Chicago Tribune
"ANNALS OF THE FORMER WORLD is surely a classic. If I didn't know better, I'd say it was timeless." --A.O. Scott, Village Voice
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
The poles of the earth have wandered. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
The poles of the earth have wandered. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding if (and only IF) you don't all ready own it.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Annals of the Former World (Hardcover)
Anyone who enjoys well written non fiction will enjoy McPhee's latest, regardless of their interest in geology. He has the amazing ability to make any subject interesting, by explaining the science in a plain style while constantly keeping the personalities involved visible. From civil engineering to lighter-than-air flight to the cultivation of oranges, every essay and every book is a joy. If you are a fan of good writing, this one is for you. BUT, if you are a McPhee fan, you might be annoyed by this one. I have over two dozen of Mr. McPhee's books on my shelves at home. Four of them are this book. "Annals of the Former World" is a omnibus edition of "Assembling California", "Rising from the Plains", "In Suspect Terrain", and "Basin and Range". The only new material is a short (36 pages), well written essay "Crossing the Craton" and a poor-to-fair narrative table of contents. That's it, maybe 45 page! s of new material in a a 695 page book. I do feel that somewhere in the publicity for the book mention should have been made of this. If you've never read any of it, get it. If you are buying for a library, get it. If you are considering getting "Annals of the Former World" because you are a fan of the best non fiction writer around today, well, you might want to forget it.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you like to read, buy this book...,
By A Customer
This review is from: Annals of the Former World (Hardcover)
If you have any interest in geology, western history or people you will love this book. I wasn't all that enthused by the descriptions, but once started I couldn't put it down. It is great and deserved the Pulitzer Prize that it won.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A hellofa travelogue!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Annals of the Former World (Hardcover)
McPhee is a writer I've visited from time to time over the past 20 years. I succumbed to this latest, a rebinding of several earlier books with new information on Archaen geology, because of McPhee's sheer exuberance at the natural world. The writing is pure McPhee, with all the quirks and foibles that he brings to writing. Some of his metaphors are wonderful; others seem too strained. He leaps like a brook, jumping from a comment about rock (naturally) to one about Mormons or birds or triple-long tractor trailors. At times, it's irritating. The biggest criticism is goes to the maps, what there is of them... they're poorly printed, in black and white and (mostly) gray. They're barely legible and far too few. This books calls for an abundance of maps and illustration as McPhee discusses very complicated issues of geology, tectonics and continental movement. Still, the book is enjoyable. All he needs to do, besides republishing it with another 50-or-so maps, is to print it in a format that you can handle while driving across I-80!
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