Stephen Jay Gould, anyone?

[Tormod]

I have read a lot of popular science books but for some reason I've never read anything by Gould.

 

I have Rocks of Ages which I am about to embark upon, but from what I reckon it is a tiny book compared to some of his other writings, which can be in excess of 1,000 pages.

 

I have the Skeptic magazine which came out after he died, with lots of comments about him, his life and his writings. But I want to ask - has anyone here read anything by him? Any recommendations? What did you think?

 

Tormod

[Pyrotex]

...I've never read anything by Gould.

I have Rocks of Ages which I am about to embark upon...has anyone here read anything by him? Any recommendations? What did you think?

I have!

The best thing by Gould that I have read is "Beautiful Life" -- a chronological and very detailed story of the uncovering of the world's largest single bed of Cambrian fossils. A riveting read.

 

Gould wielded the pen with very nearly the clarity and joy as Daniel C. Dennett, Richard Dawkins, and Douglas Hopfstedder (sp?). Most of his books are collections of the essays he wrote every month for a British natural history magazine. There are gems and there are the occassional lump of coal, but overall, the gems win out hands down.

"Bully for Brontosaurus" and "Dinosaur in a Haystack" are my favorites among his essay collections.

[Buffy]

Seconding Pyro's recommendations. I just re-read "Dino in a Haystack" and "Bully" (I *don't* re-read books!) and have "Beautiful Life" (which I started long ago but never finished) in the "to-read" pile.

 

Leading off topic though, if you want to go in the direction of Geology rather than paleontology/biology, I'm an absolute freak for John McPhee. "Assembling California" and "Control of Nature" are two of my fave science books of all time....he's every bit as lucid and learned as Gould.

 

K-T Boundary,

Buffy