The lying stones of Marrakech : penultimate reflections in natural history

Summary: "In his latest collection of essays, bestselling scientist Stephen Jay Gould once again offers his unmistakable perspective on natural history and the people who have tried to make sense of it. Gould is planning to bring down the curtain on his nearly thirty-year stint as a monthly essayist for Natural History magazine, the longest-running series of scientific essays in history. This, then, is the next-to-last essay collection from one of the most acclaimed and widely read scientists of our time. In this work of twenty-three essays, selected by Booklist as one of the top ten science and technology books of 2000, Gould covers topics as diverse as episodes in the birth of paleontology to lessons from Britain's four greatest Victorian naturalists. The Lying Stones of Marrakech presents the richness and fascination of the various lives that have fueled the enterprise of science and opened our eyes to a world of unexpected wonders. Book jacket."--BOOK JACKET.

Item details

ISBN: 0609807552 (pbk.) :
ISBN: 9780609807552 (pbk.)
Physical Description: print
371 p. : ill ; 25 cm.
Edition: 1st pbk. ed.
Publisher: New York : Three Rivers Press, c2000.

Contents / Notes

General Note:

Includes index.

Formatted Contents Note:

Episodes in the birth of paleontology: the nature of fossils and the history of the earth -- Present at creation: how France's three finest scientists established natural history in an age of revolution -- Darwin's century--and ours: lessons from Britain's four greatest Victorian naturalists -- Six little pieces on the meaning and location of excellence -- Science in society -- Evolution at all scales.