Reviews

"A compelling human story"--Boston Sunday Herald

"Smith's life provides a terrific plot to frame his contribution to science. Winchester's wonderful account does credit to it."--Publishers Weekly (*Starred Review*)

"Smith's unsung life provides the perfect backdrop for yet another entertaining intellectual history."--Denver Post

"Well-researched narrative"--BusinessWeek

"Winchester brings Smith's struggle to life in clear and beautiful language."--New York Times Book Review

"Winchester has once again captured the essence of persistence against odds resulting in achievement."--Library Journal (starred review)

"Winchester masterfully weaves a compelling history."--Newsday

"A compelling human story" -- Boston Sunday Herald

"Well-researched narrative" -- BusinessWeek

As he did in The Professor and the Madman, Winchester chooses an obscure historical character who is inherently fascinating, but whose life and work have also had a strong impact on civilization. Here is William Smith, the orphan son of a village blacksmith, with lots of pluck and little luck until the end of his life when this pioneering first geological cartographer of the world beneath our feet was finally and fully recognized. Smith's life illustrates the interconnectedness of early 19th-century science, the industrial revolution, an intellectual climate that permits a look beyond religious dogma, and the class biases that endlessly impede his finances and fortunes. Published in 1815, Smith's huge and beautiful map of geological strata and the fossils imbedded in them blazed the way for Darwin and the creation-vs.-evolution debates that rage even day. Winchester is a fine stylist who also has a fine, clear reading voice. He fully engages listeners, not only with the excitement of Smith's life and work, but even with geological explications that would have been pretty dull in science class. Simultaneous release with HarperCollins hardcover (Forecasts, June 4). (Aug.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Adult/High School-In The Professor and the Madman (HarperCollins, 1998), Winchester managed to turn the seemingly dull story of the genesis of a dictionary into an international bestseller. His new book is about the equally unglamorous subject of geology, but he explores far more than the scientific classification of rocks. Once again readers are treated to the captivating life story of an obscure, eccentric man who made, against all odds, a big difference. William Smith led the life of a Charles Dickens character, complete with debtor's prison, sinister aristocratic snobs, intellectual "pilferers," a mentally ill wife, and an understudy nephew (even more destitute than himself) who eventually became professor of geology at Oxford. Smith was a self-educated canal digger with a keen eye, limitless perseverance, and an insatiable curiosity about all things under the topsoil. He had ideas about stratification that no one had before, and he turned those ideas into a masterwork: the world's first true geologic map. His work had huge implications in numerous aspects of early 19th-century life, including religion, commerce, agriculture, politics, and science. Winchester's book has a few flaws: repetition, overstatement of his primary themes, several proofreading lapses (especially near the end). But for the most part, it is an engaging, lively story that will capture the interest of many teens, and not only those who maintain rock or fossil collections.-Robert Saunderson, Berkeley Public Library, CA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

"A compelling human story"--Boston Sunday Herald
"Smith's life provides a terrific plot to frame his contribution to science. Winchester's wonderful account does credit to it."--Publishers Weekly (*Starred Review*)
"Smith's unsung life provides the perfect backdrop for yet another entertaining intellectual history."--Denver Post
"Well-researched narrative"--BusinessWeek
"Winchester brings Smith's struggle to life in clear and beautiful language."--New York Times Book Review
"Winchester has once again captured the essence of persistence against odds resulting in achievement."--Library Journal (starred review)
"Winchester masterfully weaves a compelling history."--Newsday
"A compelling human story" -- Boston Sunday Herald
"Well-researched narrative" -- BusinessWeek