The types of earth and rock were not only described, but explained as to how they were formed and their role in the overall topography of the region. One section in particular, in the Sierra Nevada mountains (which I know fairly well), was truly magnificent. The book is highly educational, going into great detail on plate tectonics and geologic formations. He moves from geologic description to narrative writing so smoothly that I often didn't notice the transition. I've always been fascinated by geology, and I've read McPhee before, so this was an irresistible book for me. John McPhee's writing often fits in with these in my mind, simply because his writing is engaging and pulls you right into the topic he's writing about. Three that spring immediatley to mind: Aldo Leopold (probably my favorite non-fiction book ever is the Sand County Almanac), Rachel Carson, and Stephen Jay Gould. This is particularly commendable when the writer is a scientist first and foremost. I'm fascinated with scientific topics that are written is if they weren't. None of this should be charged again McPhee! My next venture into his writing will be in print.

It was far too easy for me to become confused by geological terms and have to re-read to make sure I understood, or to Google words I wasn't sure I heard clearly. I should have been more patient and waited until I could find the time to read it in print, rather than to listen. My only reservation with the book is purely my own. This book is the last in a four part series Annals of the Former World, a geographical cross section of North America, for which McPhee was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1999, a richly deserved honor. The story of the geological evidence of the land masses that collided, moved under, moved over, and separated to create the area we know as California truly is fascinating, and McPhee is an excellent story teller. Although McPhee's primary focus is the state of California, his discussions with his guide, tectonicist Eldridge Moores, cover the formation of current and previous continents all over the globe.

As I had seen it explained on PBS documentaries it seemed so obvious that I assumed it was an idea that had been around for a very long time, not just since the 1960's.Īnd so my eye was caught by this book when I went looking for something written by John McPhee in audio format. When I learned a few years ago that plate tectonics, the theory that the form of the earth's surface is created by rigid plates moving over the mantle, colliding with one another and pulling apart, was actually quite new, I was startled.

Assembling California by John McPhee