Book Description

For many of us, the scientific breakthroughs of our times--the Big Bang, evolution, quantum physics, and relativity--denote an existence that is bleak, devoid of meaning, or pointless. But here, eminent biologist Goodenough shows how the scientific worldview need not be a source of despair. Indeed, it can be a wellspring of solace and hope. This eloquent volume reconciles our contemporary scientific understanding of reality with our timeless spiritual yearnings for reverence and continuity. Addressing ideas like evolution, emotions, sexuality, and death, The Sacred Depths of Nature brings rich, uncluttered detail to the workings of nature in general and of living creatures in particular. Goodenough's clear thinking and writing will allow even non-scientists to appreciate that the origins of life and the universe are no less meaningful in light of our scientific understanding of them. At the end of each chapter, her spiritual reflections respond to nature's complexity with a vibrant emotional intensity and sense of reverent wonder. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Beautiful..........
.....that is how I describe Ursula Goodenough's ability to explain science and her ideas to readers of all levels of scientific background (or lack of). The focus of this book is not only to introduce readers to some basic science (from the Big Bang to the origins of life to modern genetics to an analysis of our emotions), but to present the info in such a way as to intrigue the reader and to help him or her see the pure beauty of the subject she has dedicated her life to. One of Ms. Goodenough's theses is that most people are put off by science because they feel it violates what they feel is special and sacred about life and our world. This, she seems to say, often stems from a misunderstanding of the beauty of science and a lack of acknowledgement that our scientific understandings of nature are as beautiful as earlier, non-scientific explanations of the origins of the world and ourselves. She puts forth an approach she calls "religious naturalism" which reflects her belief that one can evoke a "religious" response in readers by explaining nature using our knowledge of science. She feels that this can be a unifying force in our world because of the way it honors nature and retains the view of humans as special. Truly a compelling read!

As good as the best of Loren Eiseley.
This book is a gem. Not only are the science passages an exquisite introduction to astronomy, cell biology (Goodenough's field of expertise), and evolution, but her reflections on the meaning she personally derives from such knowledge leave the reader yearning for more. Her passage on the meaning of death--indeed, a celebration of death, for the kind of life and love only it can call forth--is unsurpassed by all the outpourings of those who have ever written on this subject from the standpoint of the humanities. Most poignant are the places in which Goodenough transcends the innate human urge to find (or make) meaning--when she surrenders to the purest of all religious responses: simple assent. Taking science as far as it can go toward understanding the cosmos, life, and consciousness, she is moved by the wonder of it all to demand no more insight. She is fully, intimately, restfully at home in the universe, in her version of divinity: the sacred depths of nature. At these moments of surrender, the words she offers bring tears to this reader's eyes in their spare beauty. And then, able to draw no more from either the science or her own soul, she offers up a poem or psalm from various of the world's wisdom traditions. Some day, some day, this reader hopes--centuries from now, at best--a new wisdom tradition expressed in the time-tested artisty of poems and psalms will have emerged for those, like Goodenough, on the path of religious naturalism. But the words that will be metered will not be limited to those of Lao Tsu or the Hebrew sages. They will be drawn from the revered works of Eiseley, Leopold, and Goodenough.

A manual for converts
Few voices are as forceful or as eloquent as that of the convert. This account of personal awe in the face of Nature is a passionate example. From the centre of Christian America, Goodenough explains why ideas of divine forces driving Nature must be replaced. Her replacement, trying to mediate between "cold" science and misleading traditional dogma, is called "natural religion". Astonished by the wonders of cosmology and life, Goodenough became a scientist and shed her monotheistic background. What wasn't thrown out with the theology was her sense of wonder. Having once buried her head beneath a pillow out of despair over her inability to comprehend the cosmos, she relates how she emerged to study science. She chose biology, and it's well for us she did. Her description of protein construction is unmatched in science writing.

In this work, she opens at the beginning, explaining how physics underlies everything, including life. She relates how "life from non-life" can and does occur. She moves to a description of the origins and later development of life's processes. Cell mechanisms are portrayed. In this topic, she creates a wonderful idea - the Mozart Metaphor. We listen to a Mozart sonata with a sense of awe and veneration. Those feelings, she urges, aren't diminished by the knowledge that the music is reducible to blobs of ink on a page. Any musician can read those dots and restore the wonder by playing the music. In life, our knowledge of life's processes doesn't diminish the marvel of them. Goodenough translates that feeling into a "Mystery" which she wishes to share. If you need to understand how much of life functions, but
fear abandoning "traditional" beliefs, this book is a fine first step.

A second step is one Goodenough regrettably omits. While her "natural religion" comes accompanied by a wealth of poetic, Biblical and other religious messages, the voice of science itself is silent in this book. Charles Darwin's own "grandeur of this view of life" is a serious omission in a book so descriptive of evolution. While some would resist pairing Darwin with Mozart, the evolutionist's reach extends beyond our tiny world. The same is unlikely to be the case for the composer. It's not enough to turn what science has shown us about life into a new "faith". Practitioners of science deserve hearing, especially when an author is speaking in their name. The information she uses has taken many years, much hard work and no little inspiration. Goodenough might have given that foundation a bit more ink. Some fine chapter illustrations grace the text, but the bibliography is limited. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

There is wonder aplenty in nature and science
"But there must be something more" is a common refrain among those who believe that science robs the world of its meaning; those who cannot countenance that we are ultimately elaborate biochemical reactions, that life emerged from non-life, that stars are nuclear furnaces, that the universe began with a Big Bang. Ursula Goodenough answers this refrain with compassion, patience, poetry, and above all, a command of science and a gift for communicating its achievements and its excitement. In "The Sacred Depths of Nature", Ursula Goodenough, a research biologist, presents a series of meditations on the mysteries of nature. She argues passionately that there are mysteries aplenty within us and about us, and that we needn't invent a supernatural realm. How can one contemplate the exquisite workings of a signal transduction cascade within a living cell, or the grandeur of stellar evolution, or the complexity of biological evolution without a sense of awe? As Carl Sagan was fond of pointing out, these stories have far greater richness and beauty than do any religious myths, no matter how richly embellished.

As Ms. Goodenough amply demonstrates in this unique little book, science needn't be devoid of awe; its language needn't be dry and unpoetic; its students needn't be deprived of feeling. In fact, quite the contrary. The intricacy and grandeur or nature, as revealed by science, is every bit as awe-inspiring as the greatest religious myths; indeed, even more so. Ms. Goodenough argues that understanding life is like understanding a Mozart sonata. As she puts it, "The biochemistry and biophysics are the notes of life; they conspire, collectively, to generate the real unit of life, the organism."

Building on this theme, each chapter explores some aspect of biology, embracing the intrinsic beauty of some complex process, never shying away from accurate terminology, and always employing apt metaphors and analogies that make the concepts accessible to virtually anyone. For example, as Ms. Goodenough explains, "Patterns of gene expression are to organisms as melodies and harmonies are to sonatas. It's all about which sets of proteins appear in a cell at the same time (the chords) and which sets come before or after other sets (the themes) and at what rate they appear (the tempos) and how they modulate one another (the developments and transitions)." Each chapter ends with "reflections", in which the author grants herself greater poetic license to interpret the lessons of the chapter in a personal way, and to explore common intuitions about life, even as they have been sanctified in religious rituals. In one such reflection, Ms. Goodenough's declares "I have come to understand that the self, my self, is inherently sacred. By virtue of its own improbability, its own miracle, its own emergence."

Even if the reader does not come away with the same sense of awe at the workings of nature as the author, there is one observation that will surely be impressed upon him/her; that it is indeed possible for a scientist, a reductionist, a non-believer, to be filled with wonder, gratitude, and awe. These things are not antithetical to science; for some, they are integral to science. Those of us who are scientists typically have appreciated this fact in some way since childhood, although perhaps not as poetically or poignantly as Ms. Goodenough. For those who insist that there must be something more, Ms. Goodenough's reflections may begin to persuade you that there is wonder enough within a single cell to rival any liturgy, and any cathedral. How can anyone who even begins to grasp their inner workings ask for more?

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to appreciate the poetry and awe of science. It takes a small but significant step toward bridging a chasm between science, which is too often perceived as suffocatingly impersonal and dispassionate, and the sacred, which is mistaken for the exclusive domain of religion. My hat is off to Ursula Goodenough. I suspect that she will help to bring a good many talented young people into science who may not have otherwise ventured to go there, and just as importantly, help to remove some of the stigma associated with science and its practitioners.

Simple, beautiful
This book is a series of meditations. Each one begins with a well-informed, concise lecture on some aspect of biology. These come together for a charming overview of the subject actually; you can tell that she loves biology and you can feel why.

Then, she shifts directly into spiritual reflection. Surprisingly, she was just as insightful in this area! She really has deeply considered the spiritual significance of biology, and her insights were inspiring and refreshing for me. She doesn't over-extend herself either; even as someone with a world-class education in philosophy and religion I found no weaknesses in her thought (and that is very, very unusual).

Whether you are depressed by or afraid of science and naturalism, or if you are in love with them, this is a beautiful, profound (yet simple) book for you. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This is a most wondrous and unusual book. Its scattered text and stunning photographs convey a spirit of reverence and adventure that will cause readers to recall their own private epiphanies gained through contact with the natural world. Originally published by the Sierra Club in 1967, On the Loose sold more than a million copies before going out of print a decade ago; this gorgeous re-release is bound to find a new generation of readers.

The artful photographs, mostly taken by the Russell brothers, capture Yosemite, Point Reyes, the High Sierra, the Great Basin, and Glen Canyon in the 1950s and 1960s. The text--quotes, poems, pithy observations--perfectly complements the images as the Russells write about both the wonder of the American West as well as humanity's role in its destruction. Rather than preach or admonish, they offer an eloquent plea for compassion and understanding on behalf of the places that touched them deeply:

We live in a house that God built but that the former tenants remodelled--blew up, it looks like--before we arrived. Poking through the rubble in our odd hours, we've found the corners that were spared and have hidden in them as much as we could. Not to escape from but to escape to: not to forget but to remember.

At its core, On the Loose is an elegant invitation to gain insight by looking outward: "The point of it all is Out There, a little beyond that last rise you can just barely see, hazy and purple on the sky. These pages are windows. And windows are to see through." And what a view it is. --Shawn Carkonen ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Would pay almost any price to find a copy of On The Loose
My biggest mistake was in buying and loaning out one too many copies of this incredibly moving and inspirational account of two brothers growing up wild and On The Loose. After giving this book as a gift over 20 times, I loaned out my own copy and never saw it again. What will it take Sierra Club to convince you to reprint this book? I have many freinds waiting for me to find a copy of what is my version of the bible. If there is anyone out there who knows how to get a copy, please let me know.

"full circle"
I have a well-worn copy of the original printing by Sierra Club Books, which inspired my own travels in the American West. To find "On the Loose" back in print, nearly 30 years later, and to give the book as a gift to my son, is to come "full circle."

What goes around
How ironic it is to see that this book is about to be published once again. I was first given a copy in 1969, my freshman year of college, and it was the first publication I'd ever held in my hands that spoke of wilderness as something that could enlarge and enlighten the inner life of a human being. What interested me most was the fact that the Russell boys were the only people I've yet encountered to go into Glen Canyon before it was flooded to document at least some of all that was about to be lost. Given the unsuitability of the geology of the area, and the Native American sites that present day laws would have protected, it's highly instructive to have this book to illustrate what was drowned before most Americans even knew it existed. I'd certainly never heard of Glen Canyon before I picked up "On the Loose."

The merits of the Glen Canyon dam were shakey even in the sixties, but the momentum for building big dam projects could not be entirely overcome by the cautionary minority of long-term thinkers. In the end, Glen Canyon was sacrificed partly so that the Grand Canyon might escape the two dams proposed for it. In the decades since, the creation of a 180+ mile reservoir where once a mostly unexplored canyon complex once stood has proven of far less value than it's more famous cousins Hoover and Coulee, and fallen far short of it's promoters' promises. And now patient Nature, always the eventual winner, is taking her canyons back via drought, evaporation, leakage into the porous sandstones, and every dam's nemesis, siltation. Add in the fact that there is a growing movement to take the dam itself down and let the canyonlands heal as best they can, and you've got powerful incentive to revisit the Russells' little book, to see what once was and may once be again.

I hope the surviving Russell brothers have had good lives. Their beautiful book certainly struck a chord in me and a lot of people I know.

freedom for ...
this is the most incredible book i have ever read. it took me out of my decaffeinated white picket existence and said there were places left in the world where one could wander at will, no questions asked. read this, then leave it at home and go outside.

Truly wonderful
This book changed my life. I was given a copy while in high school in the mountains of colorado. I was, and continue to be, inpired by this book. My days and nights under the open sky of the west have filled my life with joy - and this book helped get me out there after growing up a city boy in california. Buy it, read it, and give copies to everyone you know. ... Read more

Book Description

Master storyteller Peter Benchley combines high adventure with practical information in Shark Trouble, a book that is at once a thriller and a valuable guide to being safe in, on, under, and around the sea. The bestselling author of Jaws, The Deep, and other works draws on more than three decades of experience to share information about sharks and other marine animals.
“Shark attacks on human beings generate a tremendous amount of media coverage,” Benchley writes, “partly because they occur so rarely, but mostly, I think, because people are, and always have been, simultaneously intrigued and terrified by sharks. Sharks come from a wing of the dark castle where our nightmares live—deep water beyond our sight and understanding—and so they stimulate our fears and fantasies and imaginations.”
Benchley describes the many types of sharks (including the ones that pose a genuine threat to man), what is and isn’t known about shark behavior, the odds against an attack and how to reduce them even further—all reinforced with the lessons he has learned, the mistakes he has made, and the personal perils he has encountered while producing television documentaries, bestselling novels, and articles about the sea and its inhabitants. He tells how to swim safely in the ocean, how to read the tides and currents, what behavior to avoid, and how to survive when danger suddenly strikes. He discusses how to tell children about sharks and the sea and how to develop, in young and old alike, a healthy respect for the ocean.
As Benchley says, “The ocean is the only alien and potentially hostile environment on the planet into which we tend to venture without thinking about the animals that live there, how they behave, how they support themselves, and how they perceive us. I know of no one who would set off into the jungles of Malaysia armed only with a bathing suit, a tube of suntan cream, and a book, and yet that’s precisely how we approach the oceans.” No longer. Not after you’ve read Shark Trouble. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

So,me useful information, but a lot seems to be "filler"
Heard the taped version of SHARK TROUBLE, written and read
by Peter Benchley . . . this is a nonfiction book that tells you how to be safe in, on, under, and around the ocean . . . Benchley, author of JAWS, draws on more than three decades of
experience around sharks and other marine animals . . . there is
some useful information here, but a lot of it has seems to be
"filler" material; e.g., a short fiction piece on what would happen if every shark on the planet were to be killed . . . also, I'm not sure why he bothered to include a whole chapter on ocean swimming safety . . . overall, I came away with the felling that you have to be careful when in the ocean, in that there's a LOT of marine life that is potentially harmful to humans (though I'm not so sure that I had to keep hearing this over and over) . . . I further did come to accept Benchley's premise that we should redirect our research priorities and spend more money on looking at all the valuable resources in the water--and less on the much scarcer resources in outer space.

A Surprising Delight
I really enjoyed this audio book. In it, Peter Benchely recounts his adventures in the seas interspersed with factual information on sharks and other sea creatures. Benchely, unlike some authors, reads his work with enthusiasm and skill, making it engaging from beginning to end. I came away with a much deeper respect for the sea and the creatures in it and a renewed sense of the importance of understanding the interconnectedness of all things. Besides the environmental importance of the book, it is full of fun and funny and even scary adventure stories. I highly recommend it.

Disappointing
Peter Benchley, author of Jaws, pens a non-fiction book setting the record straight on shark behavior. It sounds like a great idea and it is, but the execution is horrible. I would say maybe 50% of this book is actually about sharks; the rest merely lists dangers of the ocean (rips, tides, etc.) and non-shark creatures to be feared. Useful and mildly interesting, but I wanted a *shark* book. Another irritant is Benchley's "man is the real threat" stance. While valid (and true), his position is presented with an incredibly heavy hand. Peter, that horse isn't getting any more dead, so lay off! It's not a good sign when I end up tossing a book on the floor and yelling "I get it." Overall, a massive disappointment.

Benchley's Act of Contrition Works!
Peter Benchley seeks to atone for his unparalleled contribution to shark hysteria in Shark Trouble, a much more factual account of the Shark than his earlier works. Having achieved shark fame through "Jaws", Mr. Benchley was subsequently invited over the next several years to come play in the sea with the fearsome critters by numerous people looking to hype their own shark agendas with an appearance by the creator of "Jaws". After many years of diving and rubbing shoulders with shark legends, actual sharks and researchers in the field of shark behavior, Peter Benchly writes this memoir to philosophically reflect on the experience of his personal shark odyssey while touching from time to time on the emerging scientific understanding of the shark. I found it to be an excellent read.

Enjoyable listening, but...
Peter Benchley makes a good, light, and accomplished reading of his own book. This is easily accessible and not bogged down with science, though depending on what you want, that could be a drawback also. There are some good personal anecdotes. I liked the story of Peter's swim (flight?) on the back of a Manta Ray, and the time he nearly got his family eaten by Hammerheads.

It should be said that the book seems a little disjointed at times, and there are chapters that actually have nothing to do with sharks, but instead talk about safety in the water and other sea creatures. The author takes a strong environmental attitude throughout with regard to shark conservation, and is critical of the bad press sharks get in the media (but Peter, didn't you.. er.. have just a little to do with that?)

A good book for light reading or listening, but don't expect too much in the way of serious information. ... Read more

Book Description

Anthropologist and naturalist Loren Eiseley blends scientific knowledge and imaginative vision in this story of man. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

"...Lie Awake While the Meteors Whisper Greenly Overhead."
This is a very unusual book. It is ostensibly about the "Immense Journey" of man along his long evolutionary trail. But, in the same way that "The Odyssey" is not just an historical travel tale, Eiseley's book is much more. This is a work about the wonders of life, the joys of curiosity, the rewards from solitary time spent in the natural world and the transitory nature of all existence.

This one must have been just fantastic when it was published in 1957. It's still very good in 2003 despite the passage of time, which has exposed several of Eiseley's scientific beliefs and musings to be erroneous. Keep in mind the tremendous advancements in archeology, molecular biology and all other fields of science over the last 46 years and don't get hung up on these anachronisms. Instead, revel in the beautiful language Eiseley uses and the imagery he evokes: "Some lands are flat and grass-covered, and smile so evenly up at the sun that they seem forever youthful, untouched by man or time." Or another favorite: "Tyrannosaurs, enormous bipedal caricatures of men, would stalk mindlessly across the sites of future cities and go their slow way down into the dark of geologic time."

Read this book and you'll want to dig up fossils, listen to the wind, watch other animals and soak up life. And you will probably want to read it again.

Take a Journey through Life
"The journey is difficult, immense, at times impossible, yet that will not deter some of us from attempting it. We cannot know all that has happened in the past, or the reason for all of these events, any more than we can with surety discern what lies ahead." This quote comes from Loren Eiseley's book, The Immense Journey. Eiseley explores the evolution of life through his personal experiences as an anthropologist. Through his explorations of nature, Eiseley produces a model of his personal universe, one that seeks to explain the miracles of the world.
The most interesting aspect of The Immense Journey is the balance that is achieved between scientific fact and the detailed descriptions of the author's experiences. Every chapter contains numerous anecdotes that relate to the scientific topic being explored, without taking away from the scientific purpose. Eiseley uses his travels and observations as an anthropologist to provide entertainment to the average reader. The scientific concepts are easier to understand when a tangible example is included. Although Eiseley doesn't incorporate a lot of jargon into his writings, there are scientific concepts included that are difficult to understand. References are made to discoveries and theories that a person unfamiliar with the scientific world would not understand. Somewhat of a scientific background would be beneficial in understanding the full purpose of the book.
The book explores the origin of life-a topic that is relevant and intriguing to a wide audience of readers. One disadvantage is that the book was written in 1959, and since then, additional discoveries have been made and further research has been done to uncover new theories about life. The book would have been more advantageous in its own time. Eiseley makes references to many leading scientists of the time, including Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace. They are often quoted and material is used out of their books and scientific journals. Each chapter ends with a transitory paragraph that carries the reader into the next one smoothly. It follows a logical order-beginning in the earliest years of life and progressing to the present. Each event of life is studied and it is explained how it relates to man today.
The Immense Journey adequately serves as an interesting, as well as factual, scientific book. Its purpose is clear, and the facts are meshed with entertaining experiences that can be easily related to. Eiseley succeeds in appealing to a wide variety of readers by leading them down the path of his own life journeys.

scholarly treatment of Darwon's ideas - and texts
Eiseley has read all of the different editions of "Origin," and in that way traces the evolution of Darwin's thought in the context of his times. It is well written and argued and somewhat better than normal academic writing, but it still reads like a pedantic text. Perhaps it was too advanced, or simply too detailed, for the level of my interest, but I found a lot of this somewhat boring - and I admit that that is as personal as a reflection on the text. Eiseley is a world-class science writer, up there with Sagan and Gould, and explains with great clarity, etc. You get to know Darwin's mind, his many doubts, and the way he constantly hedged and worried about his reception.

Recommended with this in mind. It really depends on what you are looking for.

Beautiful, introspective, and poetical
This is a wonderful book. Loren Eisley is an anthropologist who writes like John Donne.

I went to the University of Pennsylvania in the 1960s when Loren Eisley was Professor of Anthropology. He was then recognized as the finest writer at Penn. Though his field was anthropology, every semester he was a guest lecturer for the English department in their Creative Writing classes.

Each chapter starts with a theme from nature, archeology, or biology. Gradually his writing turns from scientific observation to philosophical musing, poetry, and introspection. A perfect example is his chapter called "The Dream Animal."

In "The Dream Animal" Eisley starts by pondering a genuine problem in evolutionary biology - the remarkably short period
of time (approx. 500,000 years ago to 150,000 years ago) during which the brain evolved from the size of an apes to modern man. He ends with this -

"The story of Eden is a greater allegory than man has ever guessed. For it was truly man who, walking memoryless through bars of sunlight and shade in the morning of the world, sat down and passed a wondering hand over a heavy forehead. Time and darkness, knowledge of good and evil, have walked with him ever since...a new world of terror and loneliness appears to have been created in the soul of man.

For the first time in four billion years a living creature had contemplated himself and heard with a sudden unaccountable loneliness, the whisper of the wind in the night reeds. Perhaps he knew, there in the grass by the chill waters, that he had before him an immense journey. Perhaps that same foreboding still troubles the hearts of those who walk out of a crowded room and stare with relief in to the abyss of space so long as there is a star to be seen twinkling across those miles of emptiness."

Take your time with this book - read it in a quiet space where Eisley's musings can lead you into musings of your own.

Gentle travels through nature and life
This book was first published over fifty years ago when Americans used to read plenty of naturalists (like Emerson, Thoreau and Muir.) That said, I think this book is just as relevant today as it was fifty years ago when it was first written. I would even put this book up as a healthy alternative to much of our New Age writing (in particular, his passages on the notion of the homonculous man seem to challenge our generation's obsession with Newness, i.e. contempt for certain parts of the past.)

Eiseley's message is simple: a person can find personal meaning and comfort in nature. I enjoyed this book a lot, mostly because Eiseley indirectly reminded me to go outside and poke around. As a result, all of his little explanations about evolution became more clear when I just looked around (like his chapter entitled, "How flowers changed the world.")

I recommend this book to anyone with a natural curiosity or a curiosity in nature. ... Read more

Book Description

Like the highest mountain peaks, deserts are environments that can be inhospitable even to the most seasoned explorers. As Craig Childs makes clear in this highly praised book, there are two easy ways to die in the desert: thirst or drowning. His extraordinary treks through arid lands in search of water - mysterious solitary water holes, a network of streams that flow only at night, a gushing fountain that conceals a hidden lake, serene and otherworldy - are an astonshing revelation of the natural world at its most extreme. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

A wonderful guide to the desert
What John McPhee did for North American geology in "Annals of the Former World", Craig Childs does for the deserts of the southwestern U.S. in "The Secret Knowledge of Water". Childs does it better, however: he writes as a son of the desert, one whose intimate knowledge and love of the land and its ways percolate up through these pages like the waters of a favorite desert spring. And he shares his admiration and respect for the desert in a lyric prose that delights as much as it informs.

Childs has worked as a guide and teacher in this area of the country. That he wrote a book based on his knowledge of the terrain is not all that surprising, but his ability to provide a guided tour on paper and to paint word pictures of desert scenes like a novelist would is extraordinary. The successive sections of the book stand on their own as introductions to the desert world and, particularly, to the nature and role of water in the desert. But they also peel away a layer at a time, revealing more and more fascinations as he leads through the book. So we are treated at the start to an account of what John Wesley Powell called the "Thousand Wells" area of the Arizona-Utah border, a collection of potholes, or "waterpockets", each containing hundreds (or thousands) of gallons of water and found sitting on the surface of the land in one of the least likely places on the planet for water to be. But from there we are treated to more delights: underground reservoirs that bubble up to the surface in springs or spout out from a rock face in a waterfall; arroyos that carve the desert into creeks and then disappear; canyons that channel even modest rainfall into floods that are as fierce as they are fickle. Childs' prose is full of wonder and an eye for detail; he can get new-agey at times, though, especially in how often and how strongly he personifies water, and the account he tells of child sacrifice to stop a flood can be either poignant or horrifying, depending on one's point of view. So the accounts hit some bumps here and there, but nothing hard enough to make the jeep he's taking us around in bend an axle.

I have been to, or near, some of the places Childs describes in Secret Knowledge and, as a lifelong resident of the well-watered east, naturally missed every single feature he wrote about. So next time I go, I will be sure to bring this book along to point the way to some of the hidden gems of the desert. It's like having the best tour guide ever lead you around personally, but on the cheap.

A Pleasurable and Informative Read!
"The Secret Knowledge of Water" is prose poetry, without a single word wasted. Three or four months after reading it, many of the images are still in my head: images of ancient trails to waterholes; large, unexpected swimming holes, microbes so hardy their environment can go dry and they just curl up and wait...

This book will become even more valuable and compelling as drinking water supplies diminish in quality and quantity. Childs leads us with great flair to a subject of unparalleled importance. His musings blend with touches of humor, history and fascinating naturalism. "Secret Knowledge" should be on every nightstand and in every science (and literature) classroom. It's truly a work of art!

A Fascinating Read!
I've lived in the desert, I've hiked in the desert, I've camped in the desert and I've cursed the desert but nothing I have read before made me understand and love the desert like The Secret Knowledge of Water does.
Until I read Craig Childs' essay, I never gave much thought to water in the desert except that without it you die. Childs paints a vivid picture of the juxtaposition of desert and water in all of its manifestations. I can still picture the pools of water in the tinajas of the barren, sun-baked Cabeza Prieta and the thunderstorm-fed floods on the Arizona Strip. I can feel the terror he must have felt squatting on a ledge in a feeder canyon of the Grand Canyon as flood waters rose and swirled around him and his relief as they receded, leaving behind tons of debris. I can also feel his awe at the power and majesty of nature at the same time. I can feel his exhilaration as he bathes in a deep, cool waterpocket after a long day's hike. And I can sense his deep respect for the original peoples of the desert and how they have adapted to its caprice.
It is obvious from his style that Childs has an abiding love for the desert. If you know and love the desert, you will find The Secret Knowledge of Water a fascinating read and come away with new respect for the desert and for the waters which both nurture and shape it.

Vicarious desert travel
For desert hikers, the only substitute for "being there" is to be there through someone else's eyes. Childs has opted for a life that few can or will choose...although many of us may wish we had. His experiences are uncommon enough that a simple telling would be sufficient to keep the reader engaged. I could actually feel fear myself during his description of entry into a canyon-side spring against the flow...40 stories up. This book will keep me going a while longer while I wait to get back to this landscape again.

Close to Land, Close to Water
In the southwest, as one strives to get closer to the land it becomes necessary to get ever closer to the knowledge of water that Childs writes of here. Thirst in the desert without this knowledge of water will fan a killing panic long before any real threat of deadly dehydration. Beyond survival though, Childs shares beauty, science, historical anecdote and research in a nice balance.

Every few generations, Childs tells us, civilization sends someone into the desert to gain and map the knowledge of water. In this generation, we are grateful Childs was chosen. Facsinating. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

good
i had to read this book for my ecology class in college. it was probably the first text outside of literature class that i actually enjoyed reading; it didn't seem like homework. it made me laugh too. i don't even like science that much, but i really enjoyed reading this.

What is YOUR view of nature?
David Quammen's Song of the Dodo led me in search of his other writings. The first reward of that quest was this book. A collection of essays from an illustrious writer with keen perception, Quammen casts his perceptive eye on a range of topics from arachnids to zoology. While an anthology lacks Song's comprehensive view, these articles are timeless. Quammen's writing evokes many levels of emotional and intellectual response.

The Introduction sets the tone: "A Mouse Is Miracle Enough". From this opening we tour the wonders of nature, with a couple of side trips to observe that strangest of animals, Homo sapiens. Quammen's gaze never ceases surveying the landscape in presenting us with things we didn't know or aspects of viewing we've not considered. While the very squeamish may balk at close examination of black widow spiders, spoon worms or scorpions, Quammen is adept at taking us gently to these confrontations. As he does, he asks us to reconsider our viewpoint of these and other creatures. We must learn to deal with "faces unlike ours" and shed prejudices even if shedding the fears is more difficult. Changing fear into respect is the first step in acknowledging our sharing this planet with other creatures and stepping back from the destructive role we've adopted.

Respect for life is the underlying theme of all Quammen's nature writings. His "sidelong view of nature" takes us along remote jungle and desert paths to watch and record life's activities. While we like to set ourselves apart from the rest of life, Quammen, with facile pressure, pulls us along with him to observe our cousins. And ourselves. Deserts, it seems, are a haven for more than scorpions and Beaded Lizards. Among the many nocturnal animals hiding from the desert sun is a bipedal hominid. In this instance, the animals are groups of refugees seeking sanctuary in a hostile environment. Quammen's account of Guatemalan refugees and their mentors, also intelligent chimpanzees risk much to support and succor them. It's not a pleasant story, nor one any American can read without remorse. Quammen has made a sharp turn here from his usual investigations of nature's secrets. Refugee running is every bit as much a secret as nature offers, but with what humans are pleased to call a "moral issue". Quammen relates how well we've addressed that issue.

Great Book
These personal essays are a delight to read. Quammen takes some serious scientific information and then filters it through his humorous perspective and draws some interesting conclusions. All the essays are short but they are provocative and well written. Gee, how come I never had a biology teacher like this!

QUAMMEN IN KING-
Technical, yet understandable to anyone; Informative, yet wild and entertaining. That is how I would describe Flight of The Igauna. A friend gave this book to me in Glacier National Park last summer and I never got the chance to thank her for it. Dave Quammen takes takes the reader to his journey through the Okefenokee Swamp to a description of the interesting mating rituals by African bedbugs. He has a cynical voice but a compassionate heart. Nature is so fragile, complex, beautiful. We humans must realize this. A great book. You'll love it, a I did! Promise!

A WELL WRITTEN JOURNEY THROUGH OUR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
A COMPILATION OF SHORT STORIES THAT BOTH ENTERTAINS AND INFORMS. QUAMMEN DOES A FABULOUS JOB OF EXPLAINING THE WORLD AROUND US AND IT'S INHABITANTS. ... Read more

Book Description

The perennially bestselling and acclaimed classic of the little bird who preferred human companionship to other quail. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

THAT QUAIL, ROBERT is a book that will capture your heart!
The writing style of Margaret Stanger is very descriptive and at times needed explanation when my 10 year old daughter and I read it aloud to one another, but it is so full of love and admiration that the message is clear: this bird was very very special and much loved. She (for Robert was a she not a he) was a dignified, sweet and loving 'person', and we really enjoyed the many well-told stories within. I read it when I was a young child, and it is one of my favorite books, along with Charlotte's Web. Just knowing that this is a true story makes this book even more remarkable. Animals are more special than the average human being realizes, and I wish more 'ordinary' people would read it to open their eyes to how wonderful the animals that share our world really are. We tend to get to bogged down in our jobs and material things which really do nothing to enhance our lives. All we really need is a quail, perhaps, to enlighten our lives. Simplicity is always best. Fabulous, Fabulous book. I would like to know if there are any postcards or pictures available on Robert for sale, and if the people in the book are still alive...

A compelling story of a bird and her owner
That Quail, Robert was a very compelling look at nature. If you like nature books, you'll love That Quail, Robert. If you think birds can't be humans, than you haven't read this book.

Five Ounces of Fluff but a Ton of PERSONality
Who would have thought that from an abandoned quail's egg so much personality and affection would hatch out? Yet that is precisely what happened on Cape Cod back in 1962, as chronicled with love and honesty by the author. What happens when the human world becomes a substitute for Nature? Is the orphaned wild creature better off with its own kind, or with an adoptive family of a different species? Readers must judge for themselves in this charming tale about a delightful female quail, misnamed Robert.

Written with humor and pathos by an observant neighbor, who became Robert's Aunt and longterm hostess, this slim volume is a gem about surprising family adjustments. Human emotions seem to have rubbed off on this impressionable birdling, who rapidly becomes a member of the family--even to requiring babysitters. You will chuckle and weep over her antics and trials. How human can a bird get? Once you spend some quality time with personable and endearing Robert, you will know the truth for yourself!

Five Ounces of FLuff and a Heart of Gold!
Who would have expected so much personality and affection would hatch out of an abandoned quail's egg? Yet that is precisely what occurred on Cape Cod in 1962, as chronicled with love and honesty by the author. Can a merely human world become a
satisfactory substitue for Nature? Is the orphaned creature better off with its own kind or with an adoptive family of an alien species? Readers must judge for themselves in this charming tale of a delightful female quail, mistakenly named
Robert.

Written with humor and sincerity by a compassionate neighbor (Robert's "Aunt"), this slim volume is a gem which contains surprising family dynamics, as two life forms adapt
to a harmonious family unit--beneficial and deeply rewarding on both sides. Human emotions and reactions seem to have been imprinted on this impressionable birdling, who rapidly becomes a member of the household--even to requiring baysitters! You will chuckle and weep over her antics and trials. How Human can a bird get? Once you spend some quality time with Robert, you will know the answer for yourself.

Quails are smart and lovable
That's what "That Quail, Robert" amply demonstrates. Although ornithologists apparently eschew the assignment of human thought and emotion to animals and birds, this book convincingly shows that quails are capable of love and having hurt feelings, and are in need of companionship, just like humans. Quails are also intelligent enough to play games and critique the slightest change in home decor! Of course Robert the Quail was very lucky to have "parents" as loving and doting as the Kienzles and benefited from the fact that they were a retired couple who enjoyed rearing a new "child" after their other children had long since...flown the coop. ... Read more

Book Description

Since its inception in 1915, the Best American series has become the premier annual showcase for the country's finest short fiction and nonfiction. For each volume, a series editor reads pieces from hundred of periodicals, then selects between fifty and a hundred outstanding works. That selection is pared down to the twenty or so very best pieces by a guest editor who is widely recognized as a leading writer in his or her field. This unique system has helped make the Best American series the most respected -- and most popular -- of its kind.
The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2003, edited by Richard Dawkins, is another "eloquent, accessible, and even illuminating" collection (Publishers Weekly). Here are the best and brightest writers on science and nature, writing on such wide-ranging subjects as astronomy's new stars, archaeology, the Bible, "terminal" ice, and memory faults.

Natalie Angier
Timothy Ferris
Ian Frazier
Elizabeth F. Loftus
Steven Pinker
Oliver Sacks
Steven Weinberg
Edward O. Wilson ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Mixed bag ¿ exactly as it should be
The best thing about a collection of essays like this is that you get to read articles by writers you've never heard of, on topics you never realized could be at least interesting and sometimes even compelling. The writing ranges from dry and technical to almost purely emotional. I can't think of a single dud, which is little surprise, given the editor.

So, read it for elucidation or inspiration. You will come away with a few previously-unfamiliar names firmly lodged in your head for future reference, like Ian Frazier. The end of his (quite literally sensual) ode to icebergs is so beautiful it almost hurts. Here it is in full:

"A lot of what is exciting about being alive can't be felt, because it's beyond the power of the senses. Just being on the planet, we are moving around the sun at 67,000 miles an hour; it would be great if somehow we could climb up to an impossible vantage point and actually feel that speed.

"All this data we've got piling up is interesting, but short on thrills. Time, which we have only so much of, runs out on us, and as we get older we learn that anything and everything will go by. And since it all go by anyway, why doesn't it all go right now, in a flash, and get it over with? For mysterious reasons, it doesn't, and the pace at which it proceeds instead reveals itself in icebergs.

"In the passing of the seconds, in the one-thing-after-another, I take comfort in icebergs. They are time solidified and time erased again. They pass by and vanish, quickly or slowly, regular inhabitants of a world we just happened to end up on. The glow that comes from them is the glow of more truth than we can stand."

Hoping for the Best
Early in the forward, renown autthor/scientist Richard Dawkins writes " In a single glimpse of Andromeda, then, your eyes capture light that encompasses a span of 150,000 years, which is roughly equal to the length of time that humans have walked the earth. What holy book, what myth, can match the grandeur of that reality? In the face of such sublimity, why would any of us want to cling ot the old tales...the ones with the answers but not many questions?

That phrase captures what is best and least about this book. The grandeur of science opening up an infinite series of new questions on the one hand, and on the other, being challenged by the mundane world of people who would prefer to read "self-help" and "new age" books, a phenomena that scientists cannot fathom.

In the best sense, there are articles about science and scientists that stretch you mind by light years. "Ice Memory", tells of studies of cores of Greenland ice showing that earth has undergone dramatic changes in temperature in decades which dwarf the current exterpolations of global warming.

But the least of the book are the essays on science fighting entrenched interests or wayward passions. Some writers seem to miss the point or are fighting straw dogs. The problems of "recovered memories" in not really abused childern and lack of historical basis for the Bible are not so new to me. As Dawkins is an important writer on evolution, he probably has to deal with the conflicts between the science and peoples attitudes and beliefs more often than I do.

But I enjoyed almost every essay, learning that a sperm whale's head acts as a punching bag, and that new telescopes have returned the amatuer to an important role in astronomy. I even enjoyed some of the science vs politics stuff such as Gary Taubes exploration of the idea that poorly researched nutritional guidance from the government may have even triggered the fat epidemic.

There is food for thought in this smorgasbord, even if it is not a feast. As another reviewer said, the level of the science is at the more popular end of science reading -- but it is there. A good book to nibble at on many short commutes.

solid collection
There's little I can add to the reviews that the other reviewers haven't already said, and said well. I'll just chime in with my opinion: it's a solid collection of essays and I'd recommend it.

Not as good as 2002, but still very good
This is a great series. This year the selection seemed to have more of an anti-religious and political tone, but most of the selections are still well-written, educational and thoughtful.

Light from Andromeda?
Opening an essay collection is rather like breaking the Christmas pinata - there's bound to be something to please everyone. If you hope to discover whether "royal" blood trickles in your veins, skip right to Steve Olson's account of tracing his ancestors and the surprises he reveals about all of us. For a more practical, if more disturbing, application of gene research, sit in the Sequenom waiting room with David Duncan while he ponders the results of a DNA test. He's not hoping for claimant-to-the-throne status. He wants to know whether some quirk in his genetic makeup might indicate heart problems. If you wish to enjoy the life extended age might grant you, you may wish to peruse one of several articles on the environment and the changes it's undergoing. Residents of coastal cities or islands may consider moving to higher ground after Ian Frazier's revelations about retreating glaciers and their watery residue.

"Science and Nature Writing" allows many subject options. Dawkins has chosen well and in a timely fashion for this anthology. It would be redundant to assess the writing styles - all of these pieces are compelling, informative and presented in a highly readable style. The subjects may have a scientific or technical foundation, but the information offered isn't buried in arcane terminology. For some of the articles, the style is designed to catch your attention over the destination of your tax dollars. Is the response to the 11 September World Trade Centre attacks rational? Is money being diverted to programs that might find better use and offer better security elsewhere? Clark Chapman and Alan Harris address the first part of the question, while Steven Weinberg in one article and Charles Mann in another look at the second part.

With twenty-nine essays to consider, it quickly becomes clear what treasures of information this book contains. Since it isn't indexed [which would likely double the size of both book and cost] browsing its pages is almost mandatory. Alternatively, of course, you may simply start with Natalie Angier's paean to grandmothers and read until Edward O. Wilson's examination of the "economic development for people" versus "protect the environment first" debate. No-one is better able to summarise the points and offer pointers to satisfy both. Between those two fine writers, you will meet astronomers, cosmologists, biblical analysis and enjoy the interesting experience of seeing Oliver Sacks from within and without. Outside those limits is a reminder that light from the Andromeda Galaxy we see tonight started its journey when hominid species were first walking upright. Is there a connection?

No matter what your interests, politics, level of science education, or even eating habits, there will be rewards for you within these pages. This series has been beneficial and informative to anyone wishing to learn something new about the world around them. Wade in from the shallow end or plunge into the deeper challenges here. You will gain rewards. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada] ... Read more

Amazon.com

While many readers are familiar with John McPhee's masterful pieces on a large scale (the geological history of North America, or the nature of Alaska), McPhee is equally remarkable when he considers the seemingly inconsequential. Oranges was conceived as a short magazine piece, but thanks to his unparalleled investigative skills, became a slim, fact-filled book. As McPhee chronicles orange farmers struggling with frost and horticulturists' new breeds of citrus,oranges come to seem a microcosm of man's relationship with nature.

Like Flemish miniaturists who reveal the essence of humankind within the confines of a tiny frame, McPhee once again demonstrates that the smallest topic is replete with history, significance, and consequence. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Favorite McPhee
Oranges was my first and remains my most favorite McPhee book! I have always been a fan of non-books: dictionaries, almanacs, encyclopedia. So, McPhee's Oranges certainly resonated with me. He is one of the few authors of non-fiction who writes beautifully - even his lists are fantastic. Oranges shows in a succinct format the beauty and creativity possible in natural history writing, especially when nature is so entertwined with culture. I have recommended Oranges to my friends and colleagues who like natural history, food, and/or poetry.

Oranges is a must-read. If you enjoy it, follow up with any of McPhee's other books.

Refreshing, full of surprises
I read this book based on the other glowing Amazon recommendations and my past experiences with John McPhee. I got everything I expected, and then some.

Like many of his books, McPhee succeeds in distilling somtimes complex--seemingly dry--concepts (tree grafting, juice concentration, etc.) into fascinating subjects. Who would have thought that a book about oranges would be a page-turner?!

This is a slim volume (I read it in two sittings), and one worth reading. Indeed, you'll never drink your morning OJ quite the same way agian.

A Book I Find Myself Returning To Again and Again.
I find myself reading this book over and over. Of the several McPhee books I own, this is my favorite. I jsut wish it had more material on blood oranges! I love blood oranges and can relate to McPhee's comments on how they scare some Americans. Every time I eat one in public I get questions about their color, but most people refuse to even try them. Their loss!
The book is fascinating, but dated. Nowadays it is easy to find orange juice that is not from concentrate. That aside, the book is wonderfully informative and will tell you more about oranges than you thought possible. Beautifully written and engaging, I have given it to several of my friends, who love it.

The best darn book about oranges you'll ever read!
I received this book after hearing about it for a few months at my BOOKCROSSING.COM meetup. Two other members were going on and on about how they couldn't put this book about oranges *down*. I snatched it up as soon as they brought a copy to the meeting.

I was hooked from the first page! Not only myself but my mom..then sister.. then boyfriend. We had to get mom her own copy!

This is a book I'll recommend over and over. A definite "must read".

Good & good for you
Every time someone asks me about John McPhee (I am, I admit a total fan) I find myself saying "Look, Here is a guy who can take a subject like, say ORANGES, and make it fascinating." This is the book where he does just that. I gather that ORANGES started out as a short magazine piece & like so many of McPhee's books became an obsession. Here we can get the history, the ecology, the landscape of orange groves along with discussions of the effects of oranges and orange growing on both the culture and the surroundings, all in McPhee's eminently readable prose. This is a fast read about a subject that you probably haven't though much about, but you will walk away from this book not only better informed about the fruit but also taken with the infinite possibility of the wonder that can be found in what seem to be every-day things. ... Read more

Amazon.com

One of the most valuable tools for the advancement of geological science has in fact been the humble road cut. United States Interstate 80 crosses the entire North American continent, in the process exposing hundreds of millions of years of geological history. In Basin and Range, McPhee, accompanied at times by Princeton geologist Kenneth S. Dreyfuss, demonstrates how the contorted and tilted rocks seen in these road cuts reveal how islands of the earth's crust have floated across the earth's surface, crashing and folding to form basin and range. This is a masterful and sometimes even poetic volume of popular writing about plate tectonics, communicating the profound satisfaction of using scientific research as a tool for understanding the world around us.

This is the first of four books on North American geology by McPhee, collectively entitled Annals of the Former World.The other volumes are In Suspect Terrain, Rising from the Plains, and AssemblingCalifornia. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

It has its moments.
Geologic insight and humorous tangents abound in John McPhee's Basin and Range. In this book, McPhee describes to a more or less lay audience the formation processes of the Basin and Range. This book was written as part of a series of geology along Interstate-80. In this initial volume, McPhee lays the groundwork for the complicated processes that created the Basin and Range as well as giving readers a sort of compressed introduction to plate tectonics, geologic time and terminology.

He begins the book in New Jersey, three thousand miles from what readers know as the Basin and Range province. Though his motive is not entirely clear, one may be able to detect that McPhee is showing a possible evolutionary movement for the Basin and Range where the processes occurring in the province today may lead to a morphology similar to present-day New Jersey. Rather than straightforwardly addressing the Basin and Range (as a textbook may do), McPhee opts to intersperse his discussion of the landscape with discussions of nomenclature to geologic time to the unreliability of a geologist as a driver. When the author does directly confront the Basin and Range it is nothing overwhelming-some block faulting here, dry lakebeds there-in an attempt to make the geology sound simplistic when that could hardly be farther from true.

While the book has definite merit as a primer on geologic formation processes of the Basin and Range, the reader is forced to compete with McPhee's flowery stream-of-conscience writing style. A reader with no geologic background may be able to glean some information from this book. That which is gained, however, will be more subtle and anecdotal than anything else. While McPhee's simplification of the processes that formed the Basin and Range may be helpful at an amateur level, it may as well be frustrating and cannot compete with the knowledge one would gain from reading a more formal publication.

There's more to Nevada than Las Vegas..........
John McPhee's Basin and Range is a layman's geology explaining the formation of mountains and valleys between the Great Salt Lake and the Sierra Nevadas. McPhee intersperses his geology with an alluring mix of personal insight and travelogue commentary which enlivens an otherwise potentially dry subject matter. McPhee makes geology approachable and uncovers the deep intrigue of a science which can be punishing when presented in textbook style. Basin and Range is a short, interesting, and enjoyable explanation of the earth's early shifts of magnitude.

GREAT BOOK- BASIN AND RANGE
John McPhee's Basin and Range kept me wanting to read more, right up to the very end. His style was very interesting, keeping his story on basin and range full of knowledge. He describes two of North America's past basin and range provinces. An ancient one which was once along America's eastern seaboard and the active basin and range which is centered in Nevada. Even for those who are not knowlegdable on geology this is an easily understood book. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys to read, especially someone that is interested in learning about our natural environment.

A pure and noble quest
Reading John McPhee is such a delight that one wonders what he would be like as a teacher. Not a journalism instructor, for which he is amply qualified, but declaiming on science, particularly geology. McPhee is a master in understandably describing geologic processes and the people studying them. Under his touch, the stable earth is brought to life, compressing time and traversing space. Watching an aircraft descend for a landing, he muses that in another time its approach path would be deep under water. He explains how different the perception of time is in the mind of a geologist from that of our own. All civilization is but an eyeblink in contrast with the rise and fall of mountains and seas. According to McPhee, what geologists face is summarized in one sentence: "The summit of Mount Everest
is marine limestone."

Not long ago, he reminds us, the world was once considered to be like a drying apple. Some areas shrink driving other places to rise leaving a skin of folds. McPhee describes the history of the idea of plate tectonics and how it confounded this earlier concept. The starting point was an understanding of the earth's age. A Scottish "gentleman," James Hutton was an astute observer and an eloquent speaker. Putting his findings in writing, however, "trampled people with words." Hutton revealed the vast duration of time required to form earth's vistas. He was followed by a herald of Charles Darwin, Charles Lyell. Between them, the age of the earth and of life replaced the established biblical origins. In effect, Hutton had taken the next major step in science after Copernicus. Plate tectonics, a group, rather than an individual's insight, opened new fields of research and provided more detailed views of Earth's processes.
Among the pictures are better indicators of finding valuable resources.

McPhee's other works provide testimony to his physical courage, which is immense. Join him as he drives a twisting mountain road with a geologist on a quest: "We turned a last corner, with our inner wheels resting firmly on the road and the two others supported by Deffeyes' expectations." McPhee has joined Kenneth Deffeyes to learn about the building of the Basin and Range - the succession of mountain strings and the valleys separating them. Through McPhee, Deffeyes relates how the mountains were thrust up, eroding silt into the lowlands. Mountain building forces also produce other interesting results. Deffeyes, "a big man with a tenured waistline" by McPhee's description, has "pure and noble purposes in coming to Nevada." His quest for "pure science" investigation is one side of Deffeyes' character. The
other side is his pursuit of a "noble" metal - silver. Deffeyes knows of how plate tectonics works. He also grasps the history of the Nevada mining industry. The combination may make him a millionaire from refining abandoned mines. But there are risks and he tells McPhee " . . . if anybody comes after me, I want you to go to jail cheerfully rather than surrender your notes." Fortunately, McPhee is still outside prison walls writing for us.

This first of several works on the revolution in thinking inspired by plate tectonics remains a readable and valuable book. McPhee doesn't confine his talents to imparting what scientists do. Arcane topics are deftly woven with our everyday lives and ambitions. Sit beside him in a cafe in Nevada as he queries patrons on their reaction to the possibility that the sea will someday flood their region: "We got a boat." His careful balance of deep science and everyday life has received many accolades, but never quite enough. The best reward is to buy him and read him - and the benefits to the reader will be the more enduring.

My favorite Geology Book.
The quote about geology class "the words came floating down the room like paper airplanes" and for California geology "wild, weirdsma, leather-jacket-with-shades geology" make this a valuable book for geology teachers. This is where I learned there is a mineral called noselite. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

The end of the big game - A book to protect today'swildlife
Published in 1965, the book is the most famous book of Peter Beard. The book is shoking as most photos are pictures of dead animals, it is definitely not a book to look at before your safari. Black and white pictures are excellent. Sadly, the last pages are only photos of elephant's carcasses (too much?). The Beard's touch is a book full of old illustration, tiny pics, small and odd drawings and detailed texts - most of them taken from the British Museum. The book is about the Old Africa and text about Mt Kenya, the Man-eaters of Tsavo, Nairobi and Karen Blixen are not easy and you must have a knowledge of Kenyan history to understand them fully. This book is essential for any African collection as it has shocked and marked history.

A sad and compelling book
Having been introduced to his work at a gallery exhibit in New York, I bought this book which contains pretty much the same sad pictures. Really an amazing point of view of wildlife in Africa, might shock some with graphic pictures of carcasses, particularly one of a zebra with its hide stripped off. What I cannot figure out ultimately is where Peter Beard stands on the issue - although the big message appears to me that he opposes the killings, which is why he films the hideousness of it all, he seems to have personally participated in the hunts that he photographs, killing the same animals. He is very elusive about his personal viewpoint, seems kind of snobbish to me.

Old Africa brought to life
An excellent book for those that can handle the truth. It shows what will happen when nature is left to manage itself and what happens when men don't control themselves. It's about hard times and history-a way of life long forgotten. If you are a product of the spoonfed Disney age, then you'll find this book shocking. It may well be your first taste of truth about wild animals,wild places, and the true spirit of man. This book is about Old Africa and should not be judged with today's politically correct eye. It is an account of things happened in a forgotten time, and a lost way of life.

Old Africa-brought to life
It's a very real look at Old Africa. It shows the truth of man's bad luck, bad descisions, greed, and life filled with hard times. It shows nature in it's true self, not some Disney version of happy animals dancing around. This is an excellent book and should serve as a wake up call for the multitudes of Americans who believe the garbage that is spoon fed to them on their televisions. It may be well more than most readers can handle, because the truth is not sugar coated here.

recommended
I, like many of you, read these reviews before purchasing this book. I have little to add to these reviews-- for the most part they are accurate: the book is full of captivating photos and text. And like one reviewer stated, full of pictures of dead animals. One reviewer used the words "racist" and "reactionary" to describe this book. I use the idiom "chip on the shoulder" to describe his comments. ... Read more

Amazon.com

"I am not a naturalist. I never was and never will be a naturalist." So Ed Abbey opens The Journey Home, a collection of essays that turns every page or two to some aspect of the natural history of the desert West. Abbey had recently been compared to Henry Thoreau as a writer who had made a home both literary and real in the wild, and he was having none of it: he wanted to be thought of as a novelist and environmental activist, not as the author of gentle essays on self-sufficiency and the turn of the seasons. The Journey Home is thus full of politically charged, often enraged essays on such matters as urban growth ("The Blob Comes to Arizona"), the gentrification of the small-town West ("Telluride Blues--A Hatchet Job"), and wilderness preservation ("Let Us Now Praise Mountain Lions"). He raised a few hackles with this book, but he also found many devoted readers, fans who wanted and got an update of and rejoinder to Abbey's Desert Solitaire. Agree with him or not, you can't fault Abbey for his honest self-assessment: "I am--really am--an extremist," he wrote, "one who lives and loves by choice far out on the very verge of things, on the edge of the abyss, where this world falls into the depths of the other. That's the way I like it." --Gregory McNamee ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Abbey for President - Ed come back we need you now!
Its been over ten years since I read Desert Solitaire and I've combed through a couple of his works looking for another collection of stories that hit me with the same "between-the-eyes" impact as Desert Solitaire. Well, I found it with Journey Home. To me Edward Abbey represents the second coming of John Westly Powell. He, like Major Powell, foresaw the westward expansion of the U.S. and in the case of the desert southwest instinctively knew that water would be the limiting factor. It's important to remember that Abbey saw the huge growth up tick coming some 25 years ago. And places like Phoenix, and Vegas have exploded in size ever since. Abbey puts it all in focus with "The BLOB Comes to Arizona." "Telluride Blues - A Hatchet Job" is another case in point. But for pure fun, nothing tops Abbey's "premarital honeymoon" adventure in "Disorder and Early Sorrow." If you're a fan of Abbey and you buy the book for that story alone, you won't be disappointed.

Arguably Abbey's best
That claim may seem a little rash in the face of Abbey's great prose work, Desert Solitaire, but this book in my view offers a more intimate and personal look at Abbey himself and provides some great insights into his formation as writing placed withi the context of the American west. One of the strengths of this work, as opposed to Desert Solitaire, is the broadness of subject matter covered. Abbey begins by recounting his life changing hitch-hiking, train jumping tour across america to the west in the summer of 1944. His style, however, is like Kerouac, but without the without the self consciousness and pretension. Through Abbey's it is nature that is the subject, his personal exploits are merely secondary/accidental; Abbey is just along for the ride. He tells of his first glimpse of the mesa's of Hopi country on the fringes of the Painted Desert as viewed from the side door of the Pullman as he drifted down the tracks towards New Mexico. Throughout, he describes his love of the desert and the creatures that live there with a vitality and gentleness uncommon in today's environmental discourse. This sensitivity is even more pronounced when compared with his verbal protests against what he sees as the destroyers of his desert paradise, such as, the miners, developers, dammers, trappers and, yes, even the tourists. "The Journey Home" closes with a surrealistic celebration of the desert as seen through the detached lens of an anonymous camera, which I consider some of his most beautiful and original writing. For all those who have read Desert Solitaire, read this to get a more intimate look of the man behind the ideas. Abbey's contradictions are what makes him so great as an American writer. He is at once an anarchist, environmentalist, desert rat, river-runner, essayist and novelist, but above all a man from pennsylvania who became entraptured by the mysteries of the desert and dedicated his life to celebrating its beauty.

Extremists aren't usually this much fun
Reading Abbey reminds me of lines from the Scottish poet, Hugh MacDiarmid:

I'll have no half-way house, but aye be where/ Extremes meet; it's the only way I ken/ To dodge the cursed conceit of bein' rich/ That damns the vast majority of men.

That's Abbey for you, and he has a helluva great time out there where extremes meet. Is there any other way to live?

If You're New to Abbey, a Good Place to Start
Edward Abbey says he's not a naturalist, not an ecologist, not a writer in the tradition of Thoreau. That's true and not, like so many things about this American original who passed from among us in 1989. Most of all, Abbey loved the American West, especially the desert, and he hated anything -- mass tourism, forces of modernization, greed -- that threatened to destroy it. His prose invites the reader to come west even as he inventories all the noxious creatures waiting to sting, spray, cut, or poison her. *The Journey Home* can be read as a set of separate essays, self-contained, each short enough to savor in a sitting; but the whole coheres around Abbey's passions, and will leave you, unless your heart has been wholly congealed in the embaling fluids of city life, yearning f