The Map That Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology (P.S.) - Softcover

9780061767906: The Map That Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology (P.S.)
View all copies of this ISBN edition:
 
 

From the author of the bestselling The Professor and the Madman comes the fascinating story of William Smith, the orphaned son of an English country blacksmith, who became obsessed with creating the world's first geological map and ultimately became the father of modern geology.

In 1793 William Smith, a canal digger, made a startling discovery that was to turn the fledgling science of the history of the earth -- and a central plank of established Christian religion -- on its head. He noticed that the rocks he was excavating were arranged in layers; more important, he could see quite clearly that the fossils found in one layer were very different from those found in another. And out of that realization came an epiphany: that by following the fossils, one could trace layers of rocks as they dipped and rose and fell -- clear across England and, indeed, clear across the world. Determined to publish his profoundly important discovery by creating a map that would display the hidden underside of England, he spent twenty years traveling the length and breadth of the kingdom by stagecoach and on foot, studying rock outcrops and fossils, piecing together the image of this unseen universe.

In 1815 he published his epochal and remarkably beautiful hand-painted map, more than eight feet tall and six feet wide. But four years after its triumphant publication, and with his young wife going steadily mad to the point of nymphomania, Smith ended up in debtors' prison, a victim of plagiarism, swindled out of his recognition and his profits. He left London for the north of England and remained homeless for ten long years as he searched for work. It wasn't until 1831, when his employer, a sympathetic nobleman, brought him into contact with the Geological Society of London -- which had earlier denied him a fellowship -- that at last this quiet genius was showered with the honors long overdue him. He was summoned south to receive the society's highest award, and King William IV offered him a lifetime pension.

The Map That Changed the World is, at its foundation, a very human tale of endurance and achievement, of one man's dedication in the face of ruin and homelessness. The world's coal and oil industry, its gold mining, its highway systems, and its railroad routes were all derived entirely from the creation of Smith's first map.; and with a keen eye and thoughtful detail, Simon Winchester unfolds the poignant sacrifice behind this world-changing discovery.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:
Simon Winchester has a very simple formula, of which The Map That Changed the World is a perfect example--namely that the history we have forgotten is infinitely more interesting than the history with which we are all familiar. After the success of The Surgeon of Crowthorne, which documented the life of WC Minor, the American surgeon and major contributor to the first Oxford English Dictionary, Winchester now turns his attention to William Smith, the 19th-century Briton who can justly lay claim to being the founding father of geology.

The book has all the usual attributes of a pacy historical read: a self-educated, unrecognised scientist spends years roaming the British countryside, compiling a map of the geological layers beneath the surface, only to have his ideas ripped off and to wind up homeless and penniless in Yorkshire with a wife who is going bonkers. And it gets better: in a bizarre Dickensian twist, Smith finally gets his just accolades when he is recognised by a kindly liberal nobleman and is reintroduced to London society as the geologist par excellence. Of itself, the story would be more than enough recommendation but there is a subtext running though the book that is in many ways just as compelling--namely, how some parts of history get written in stone and others in dust. Most secondary-school students get to learn of Charles Darwin and The Voyage of the Beagle. Yet how many people could stick their hands up and say they had heard of Smith? But is evolution any more important a field as geology? Is history ultimately an exercise in who has the best PR? Winchester may not have the answer, but he'll certainly make you think.--John Crace

Review:
"Smith's life provides a terrific plot to frame his contribution to science. Winchester's wonderful account does credit to it."--Publishers Weekly (*Starred Review*)

"Winchester has once again captured the essence of persistence against odds resulting in achievement."--Library Journal (starred review)

"Winchester brings Smith's struggle to life in clear and beautiful language."--New York Times Book Review

"A compelling human story"--Boston Sunday Herald

"Well-researched narrative"--BusinessWeek

"Smith's unsung life provides the perfect backdrop for yet another entertaining intellectual history."--Denver Post

"Winchester masterfully weaves a compelling history."--Newsday

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

  • PublisherHarper Perennial
  • Publication date2009
  • ISBN 10 0061767905
  • ISBN 13 9780061767906
  • BindingPaperback
  • Number of pages368
  • Rating

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780140280395: The Map That Changed the World: A Tale of Rocks, Ruin and Redemption

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  ISBN 13:  9780140280395
Publisher: Penguin, 2002
Softcover

  • 9780060193614: The Map That Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology

    Harper..., 2001
    Hardcover

  • 9780670884070: The Map That Changed the World: The Tale of William Smith And the Birth of a Science

    Viking, 2001
    Sports Apparel

  • 9780060931803: The Map That Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology

    Perennial, 2002
    Softcover

  • 9781587241536: The Map That Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology (Wheeler Large Print Book Series)

    Wheele..., 2002
    Hardcover

Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace

Stock Image

Winchester, Simon
Published by Harper Perennial (2009)
ISBN 10: 0061767905 ISBN 13: 9780061767906
New Softcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
thebookforest.com
(San Rafael, CA, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. Well packaged and promptly shipped from California. Partnered with Friends of the Library since 2010. Seller Inventory # 1LAA3T001O93

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 6.17
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 3.16
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Seller Image

Winchester, Simon
Published by Harper Perennial (2009)
ISBN 10: 0061767905 ISBN 13: 9780061767906
New Soft Cover Quantity: 10
Seller:
booksXpress
(Bayonne, NJ, U.S.A.)

Book Description Soft Cover. Condition: new. Seller Inventory # 9780061767906

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 12.34
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Simon Winchester
Published by Harper Perennial (2009)
ISBN 10: 0061767905 ISBN 13: 9780061767906
New Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
Ergodebooks
(Houston, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. 1. Seller Inventory # DADAX0061767905

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 12.41
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Winchester, Simon
Published by Harper Collins Publishers (2009)
ISBN 10: 0061767905 ISBN 13: 9780061767906
New Softcover Quantity: > 20
Seller:
INDOO
(Avenel, NJ, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. Brand New. Seller Inventory # 0061767905

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 9.38
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 3.16
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Seller Image

Winchester, Simon
Published by Harper Perennial 4/28/2009 (2009)
ISBN 10: 0061767905 ISBN 13: 9780061767906
New Paperback or Softback Quantity: 5
Seller:
BargainBookStores
(Grand Rapids, MI, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback or Softback. Condition: New. The Map That Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology 0.62. Book. Seller Inventory # BBS-9780061767906

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 13.64
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Seller Image

Winchester, Simon; Vannithone, Soun (ILT)
Published by Harper Perennial (2009)
ISBN 10: 0061767905 ISBN 13: 9780061767906
New Softcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
GreatBookPrices
(Columbia, MD, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 6185542-n

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 13.31
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 2.09
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Winchester, Simon
Published by Harper Perennial (2009)
ISBN 10: 0061767905 ISBN 13: 9780061767906
New Paperback Quantity: > 20
Seller:
Save With Sam
(North Miami, FL, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. Brand New!. Seller Inventory # 0061767905

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 15.61
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Winchester, Simon
Published by Harper Perennial (2009)
ISBN 10: 0061767905 ISBN 13: 9780061767906
New Softcover Quantity: > 20
Seller:
Lucky's Textbooks
(Dallas, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # ABLIING23Feb2215580004848

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 12.90
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 3.16
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Winchester, Simon
Published by Harper Perennial (2009)
ISBN 10: 0061767905 ISBN 13: 9780061767906
New Softcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Books Unplugged
(Amherst, NY, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. Buy with confidence! Book is in new, never-used condition. Seller Inventory # bk0061767905xvz189zvxnew

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 16.32
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Winchester, Simon
Published by Harper Perennial (2009)
ISBN 10: 0061767905 ISBN 13: 9780061767906
New Softcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Book Deals
(Tucson, AZ, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. New! This book is in the same immaculate condition as when it was published. Seller Inventory # 353-0061767905-new

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 16.32
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

There are more copies of this book

View all search results for this book