Geologists, says John McPhee, are like dermatologists: “They crowd around
like fleas on the world’s tough hide, exploring every wrinkle and crease, and
try to figure out what makes the animal move.” He has, you’ll agree, a way with
words. In Annals of the Former World, now a thumping 696-page paperback, he
turns his travels across North America into a brilliant exploration of what we
can see of the Earth and what we know about it. Published by Farrar Straus &
Giroux, $18, ISBN 0374518734.
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Environment
How Rachel Carson's Silent Spring changed the world in 1962
Culture
Humans
Alice Roberts: 'We are fundamentally, at the end of the day, animals'
Culture
ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû1000¼¯ºÏ
New Scientist recommends a deep dive into our organs by Giulia Enders
Culture
Comment
The best new popular science books of June 2026
Culture
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
Fully autonomous drones have killed human soldiers for the first time
2
Mysterious ‘cold blob’ in the Atlantic suggests the AMOC is weakening
3
Why we should all take quantum physics extremely personally
4
Millions of fossil whale bones found in deep-ocean ‘necropolis’
5
Hundreds of new moons are revealing our solar system's violent history
6
A nuclear war between India and Pakistan could destroy the ozone layer
7
New Scientist recommends a brilliant take on the evolution of birds
8
You don't need to worry about recursive-self-improving AI – yet
9
Understanding anorexia’s grip on the brain could unlock new therapies
10
The one film to watch before seeing Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day
