Items related to Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the History of...

Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the History of Nature - Softcover

 
9780099273455: Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the History of Nature
View all copies of this ISBN edition:
 
 
High in the Canadian Rockies is a small limestone quarry formed 530 million years ago. Called the Burgess Shale, it holds the remains of an ancient sea where dozens of strange creatures lived - a forgotten corner of evolution preserved in incredible detail. In this book Stephen Jay Gould explores what the Burgess Shale might tell us about evolution and the nature of history.

The Darwinian theory of evolution is a well-known, well-explored area. But there is one aspect of human life which this theory of evolution fails to account for: chance. Using the brilliantly preserved fossil fauna of the Burgess Shale as his case study, Gould argues that chance was in fact one of the decisive factors in the evolution of life on this planet, and that, with a flip of coin, everything could have been very different indeed.

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

Review:
The Burgess Shale of British Columbia "is the most precious and important of all fossil localities", writes Stephen Jay Gould. These 600-million-year-old rocks preserve the soft parts of a collection of animals unlike any other. Just how unlike is the subject of Gould's book.

Gould describes how the Burgess Shale fauna was discovered, reassembled and analysed in detail so clear that the reader actually gets some feeling for what paleobiologists do, in the field and in the lab. The many line drawings are unusually beautiful, and now can be compared to a wonderful collection of photographs in Fossils of the Burgess Shale by Derek Briggs, one of Gould's students.

Burgess Shale animals have been called "a palaeontological Rorschach test", and not every geologist by any means agrees with Gould's thesis that they represent a "road not taken" in the history of life. Simon Conway Morris, one of the subjects of Wonderful Life, has expressed his disagreement in Crucible of Creation. Wonderful Life was published in 1989, and there has been an explosion of scientific interest in the pre-Cambrian and Cambrian periods, with radical new ideas fighting for dominance. But even though many scientists disagree with Gould about the radical oddity of the Burgess Shale animals, his argument that the history of life is profoundly contingent--as in the movie It's a Wonderful Life, from which this book takes its title--has become more accepted, in theories such as Ward and Brownlee's Rare Earth hypothesis. And Gould's loving, detailed exposition of the labour it took to understand the Burgess Shale remains one of the best explanations of scientific work around. --Mary Ellen Curtin

Review:
"A masterpiece of analysis and imagination...It centres on a sensational discovery in the field of palaeontology - the existence, in the Burgess Shale... of 530-million-year-old fossils unique in age, preservation and diversity...With skill and passion, Gould takes this mute collection of fossils and makes them speak to us. The result challenges some of our most cherished self-perceptions and urges a fundamental re-assessment of our place in the history of life on earth" (Sunday Times)

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

  • PublisherVintage
  • Publication date2000
  • ISBN 10 0099273454
  • ISBN 13 9780099273455
  • BindingPaperback
  • Edition number1
  • Number of pages352
  • Rating

Shipping: £ 4.50
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.

Destination, rates & speeds

Add to Basket

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780091742713: Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  ISBN 13:  9780091742713
Publisher: Hutchinson Radius, 1990
Hardcover

  • 9780091754228: Wonderful Life - The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History

    Hutchi..., 1990
    Hardcover

Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace

Stock Image

Stephen Jay Gould
ISBN 10: 0099273454 ISBN 13: 9780099273455
New paperback Quantity: > 20
Seller:
Blackwell's
(Oxford, OX, United Kingdom)

Book Description paperback. Condition: New. Language: ENG. Seller Inventory # 9780099273455

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 11.41
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 4.50
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Seller Image

Stephen Jay Gould
Published by Vintage Publishing, London (2000)
ISBN 10: 0099273454 ISBN 13: 9780099273455
New Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
Grand Eagle Retail
(Wilmington, DE, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. A controversial enquiry into the fundamental principles of evolutionary theory from an award-winning writerHigh in the Canadian Rockies is a small limestone quarry formed 530 million years ago. Called the Burgess Shale, it holds the remains of an ancient sea where dozens of strange creatures lived - a forgotten corner of evolution preserved in incredible detail. In this book Stephen Jay Gould explores what the Burgess Shale might tell us about evolution and the nature of history.The Darwinian theory of evolution is a well-known, well-explored area. But there is one aspect of human life which this theory of evolution fails to account for- chance. Using the brilliantly preserved fossil fauna of the Burgess Shale as his case study, Gould argues that chance was in fact one of the decisive factors in the evolution of life on this planet, and that, with a flip of coin, everything could have been very different indeed. In this book Stephen Jay Gould explores what the Burgess Shale might tell us about evolution and the nature of history.The Darwinian theory of evolution is a well-known, well-explored area. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780099273455

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 16.64
Convert currency

Add to Basket

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

Stephen Jay Gould
Published by Vintage (2000)
ISBN 10: 0099273454 ISBN 13: 9780099273455
New Paperback Quantity: 9
Seller:
Monster Bookshop
(Fleckney, United Kingdom)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. BRAND NEW ** SUPER FAST SHIPPING FROM UK WAREHOUSE ** 30 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE. Seller Inventory # 9780099273455-GDR

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 11.80
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 8.99
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Gould, Stephen Jay
Published by Vintage (2000)
ISBN 10: 0099273454 ISBN 13: 9780099273455
New Softcover Quantity: 19
Seller:
Ria Christie Collections
(Uxbridge, United Kingdom)

Book Description Condition: New. In. Seller Inventory # ria9780099273455_new

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 11.67
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 9.98
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Stephen Jay Gould
Published by Vintage (2000)
ISBN 10: 0099273454 ISBN 13: 9780099273455
New Paperback Quantity: 2
Seller:
Revaluation Books
(Exeter, United Kingdom)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: Brand New. 352 pages. 7.80x5.08x1.02 inches. In Stock. Seller Inventory # __0099273454

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 12.42
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 10
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Stephen Jay Gould
Published by Vintage Publishing (2000)
ISBN 10: 0099273454 ISBN 13: 9780099273455
New Paperback / softback Quantity: 11
Seller:
THE SAINT BOOKSTORE
(Southport, United Kingdom)

Book Description Paperback / softback. Condition: New. New copy - Usually dispatched within 4 working days. Using the brilliantly preserved fossil fauna of the Burgess Shale as his case study, Gould argues that chance was in fact one of the decisive factors in the evolution of life on this planet, and that, with a flip of coin, everything could have been very different indeed. Seller Inventory # B9780099273455

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 13.51
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 8.95
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Seller Image

Gould, Stephen Jay
Published by Vintage (2000)
ISBN 10: 0099273454 ISBN 13: 9780099273455
New Soft Cover Quantity: 1
Seller:
booksXpress
(Bayonne, NJ, U.S.A.)

Book Description Soft Cover. Condition: new. Seller Inventory # 9780099273455

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 22.73
Convert currency

Add to Basket

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

Stephen Jay Gould
Published by Vintage (2000)
ISBN 10: 0099273454 ISBN 13: 9780099273455
New Softcover Quantity: > 20
Seller:

Book Description Condition: New. 2000. New Ed. Paperback. An account of a revolution in our understanding of life's history, this book tells how three obscure British scientists completely changed our view of evolution by discovering a unique group of 530 million year-old creatures in the Burgess Shale fossil deposit in the Rockies. Num Pages: 352 pages, facsimiles. BIC Classification: PSAJ. Category: (G) General (US: Trade); (P) Professional & Vocational; (U) Tertiary Education (US: College). Dimension: 197 x 128 x 28. Weight in Grams: 254. . . . . . Seller Inventory # V9780099273455

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 14.12
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 9
From Ireland to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Stephen Jay Gould
Published by Vintage (2000)
ISBN 10: 0099273454 ISBN 13: 9780099273455
New Softcover Quantity: > 20
Seller:
Kennys Bookstore
(Olney, MD, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. 2000. New Ed. Paperback. An account of a revolution in our understanding of life's history, this book tells how three obscure British scientists completely changed our view of evolution by discovering a unique group of 530 million year-old creatures in the Burgess Shale fossil deposit in the Rockies. Num Pages: 352 pages, facsimiles. BIC Classification: PSAJ. Category: (G) General (US: Trade); (P) Professional & Vocational; (U) Tertiary Education (US: College). Dimension: 197 x 128 x 28. Weight in Grams: 254. . . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland. Seller Inventory # V9780099273455

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 16.79
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 8.32
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Stephen Jay Gould
Published by Vintage 2000-08-03 (2000)
ISBN 10: 0099273454 ISBN 13: 9780099273455
New Paperback Quantity: > 20
Seller:
Chiron Media
(Wallingford, United Kingdom)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 6666-PEN-9780099273455

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 11.53
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 14.99
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

There are more copies of this book

View all search results for this book