The Man Who Found Time: James Hutton and the Discovery of the Earth's Antiquity - Rilegato

Repcheck, Jack

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 0743231899 ISBN 13: 9780743231893

Casa editrice: Simon & Schuster Ltd, 1999

Riassunto

In this book, Jack Repcheck tells the story of this Scottish gentleman farmer and how his simple observations on his small tract of land led him to a theory that was in direct confrontation with the Bible and that also provided the scientific proof that would spark Darwin's theory of evolution. It is also the story of Scotland and the Scottish Enlightenment, which brought together some of the greatest thinkers of the age, from David Hume and Adam Smith to James Watt and Erasmus Darwin. Finally, it is a story about the power of the written word. Repcheck argues that Hutton's work was lost to history because he could not describe his findings in graceful and readable prose. (Unlike Darwin's "On the Origin of Species", Hutton's one and only book was impenetrable.) A narrative about a little-known man and the science he founded, this text is also a parable about the power of books to shape the history of ideas.

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Recensione

'Fans of the history of science should find time to read Repcheck's marvellous story, a graciously written account of how a radical new idea - that we live on a planet of vast age - emerged during the radical age of Scottish Enlightenment. It is a book of intriguing idea and engaging personalities that brings to life one of the most mind-shattering scientific discoveries of all time' Ken Alder, author of THE MEASURE OF ALL THINGS
'A vivid picture of the environment in which Hutton developed his ideas. . . an informative and revealing book that argues persuasively for a seat at the high table' THES
‘According to Stephen Jay Gould, James Hutton ‘burst the boundaries of time’ ... Repcheck succeeds wonderfully in reviving this scientific hero’
Guardian 21/08/04

L'autore

Jack Repcheck is an acquiring editor at W. W. Norton, with a long career in publishing great works of science. He has an MA in Irish Social History and lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and five children. This is his first book.

Dettagli dell?edizione

• Editore: Simon & Schuster Ltd
• Data di pubblicazione: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0743231899
• ISBN 13: 9780743231893
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Lingua: Inglese
• Numero di pagine: 256
• Contatto del produttore: non disponibile