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Stepping Stones: The story of our evolving planet
 
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Stepping Stones: The story of our evolving planet [Hardcover]

Stephen Drury (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

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From Publishers Weekly

Reaching across the five-billion year history of Earth and across the disciplines of geology, chemistry, physics, anthropology and biology, this professor of earth sciences at the Open University in London presents an erudite synopsis of the history of our blue planet. By addressing huge (the evolution of stars) as well as microscopic (the origin of bacteria) phenomena, he ably demonstrates that the same physical laws apply to the development of both. Longstanding disputes over theories such as continental drift are presented with flair. Drury also weighs in on quite a few contemporary controversies, including the cause of the planet's periodic mass extinctions, the nature of the relationship between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens and the reason for the extinction of the former, and the origin and spread of early humans. Although he barely touches on our current environmental situation, he provides a great deal of pertinent background material when he discusses the patterns and causes of natural climatic change on the planet. Drury has a knack for breaking down complicated theories and presenting them in digestible pieces only occasionally toughened by technical language. His prose is scholarly, but infused with a friendliness that marks him as an exceptional teacher and makes his book a fine contribution to the field. 12 halftones, 103 line drawings. (Aug.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This is an ambitious book. In some 400 pages, Drury (earth sciences, Open Univ.) details how the earth's systems operate, from its internal heat engines and migrating continents to its weather, the origin of its life forms, and even the evolution of human culture. Along the way, Drury explains the carbon and calcium cycles, how eukaryotes arose, how tectonics affects air and water movement, and the possible causes of the great Permian extinction, when 90 percent of all life was exterminated. Drury's audience seems to be the educated public, but the complexity of the subject matter inevitably leads to detailed diagrams and technical terminology. If not for an occasional disconcerting lapse into slang and clich? apparently intended to reach the lay reader, this would be thoroughly enjoyable. While not the best of the recent influx of books on this subject, this book certainly holds its own, presenting a wealth of geophysical detail that most others gloss over. For public and undergraduate libraries.ALloyd Davidson, Seeley G. Mudd Lib. for Science & Engineering, Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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5 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Book, Jun 22 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Stepping Stones: The story of our evolving planet (Hardcover)
This is one of the best books out of the hundreds I've read on astronomy, earth science and biology. This is the rare book that weaves together these disciplines. If you read one book on how our planet got to where it is, and where it's going, this is the one.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Exposition!! As Gripping as a Good Novel., Sep 2 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Stepping Stones: The story of our evolving planet (Hardcover)
Dr. Drury has produced a much needed lay-person's exposition of Earth science - Bravo! To paraphrase his words, this book provides the complete story which is sketched out in several contemporary works dealing with life sciences and origins.
On the down-side, the reader is forced to read the authors' (short but frequent) political commentary peppered throughout the work. Marx, Engels, Lenin and other economic/political writers are quoted throughout. In most cases, the quotes are forced and read as though they were inserted in spite of the otherwise wonderful text.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Can I be a geologist, please!, Mar 4 2000
By 
Bernie Wool (Edinburgh, Scotland) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Stepping Stones: The story of our evolving planet (Hardcover)
For years I have been interested in geology and the evolution of life, but have rarely found any general book aimed at the non-specialist. Stepping Stones breaks completely from the single-topic approach and takes on probably the broadest scope of any book I have read - the entire evolution of our home planet, the life upon it and our own emergence from a history of quiet change interspersed with unimaginably violent events over almost 5 billion years. It links geology through physics, chemistry and biology to astronomical factors. Forget the Whole Earth Cookbook; Stepping Stones tells our story. Like all good reads, it contains a sting in the tail and blends fact, theory, speculation and some wry humour. I can't say that it is an easy read, but truly found it hard to put down. What I particularly like about it is the way that the author has divided the text into more than 20 chapters, each of which is almost self-contained and possible to read in an evening. I don't know how he did it, but the huge amount of content links together wonderfully. My favourite passage - where he jokingly links our irritating cough reflex to the survivors of a volcanic holocaust 25 million years ago when the atmosphere was thick with noxious fumes, and 90 percent of all life perished. Every living thing today descends from those survivors, and I laughed to think we may owe our being to the plague of concert halls. What I learned most - how humans evolved through a repeated sequence of huge climate and environmental shifts, which helped hone our ancestors survival skills, and generally how evolution is as much a product of outlandish chance as it is of slow change governed by genes pitted against surroundings. If I were younger, I would enroll for a geology course, and would feel confident that I could master any specialist detail thrown at me, now that I have grasped the fullest possible context from Stepping Stones!
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