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Summary: Layman's review of "The Map That Changed the World
Review: As a retired professional cartographer, with a BS degree in geology and someone with a love of history, I found "The Map That Changed the World" to be both entertaining and educational. What more could anyone ask of a book? As soon as I finish the book, I'm going to sit down and re-read it, even more thoughtfully. TV will never replace a good book, IMHO!
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Summary: Excellent reference, slow in the reading....
Review: Simon Winchester's latest work is a good, not fascinating, journey into the evolving Industrial Age of England and all infrastructure that was just beginning in the late 18th century. His unabashed reverence for William Smith isn't objectionable in the book; his constant meandering reminds me more of the canals Smith built than good prose. This is a good book; however, if the reader isn't familiar with the English countryside and particular (read 'quirky') British symbolism and traits, one can get lost quickly in some of the very funny dry wit placed throughout the book.Winchester's writing style reminds me very much of John Kenneth Galbraith's books; they're formidable in their scope, unarguably correct in their history and excellent reference works. Just be forewarned they take attention to read and you may need to consult the glossary in the back (thankfully it's there) to make sense of all the new terms you'll encounter. Overall a good book that kept me intrigued enough to recommend it.
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Summary: Fascinating if not fully formed picture of a life
Review: William Smith certainly led a fascinating life. Born of humble origins, he managed, despite enormous pluck and know-how, to return to them in his dotage. The great arc of this life is very interesting and Simon Winchester does a marvelous job in putting together the pieces of this story in a way that not only portrays the development of Smith's famous map, but also the historical context in which it was developed. I found much of this background material as rewarding as the narrative itself. However, if both components are strong, sometimes it seems as though Winchester was worried about their cumulative effect. He tends to overhype the map - noting not only in the title that it changed the world, but throughout the book itself. Unfortunately, if it was a new way of looking at the world, Winchester spends little time showing how the map could exert its influence. How does a two dimensional map portray the three dimensional strata of the earth? The problems are not merely technical, for while Smith came to be recognized for his contributions, it is not clear how others built on them and how they have had a lasting influence. These concerns, coupled with a tendency to overpersonalize his attachment to Smith's story, were my only reservations. Winchester is an otherwise clear and enthusiastic writer and the book moves quickly through the details of Smith's life with compassion and understanding. This is certainly a book I would recommend. Online buyers should also note that the book jacket itself unfolds to become a bright coloured replica of Smith's original map. This is a very nice touch.
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Summary: A Fine Survey of One of Geology's Fathers
Review: Although this is not quite a perfect work of scientific biography, it remains a splendid overview of one of geology's most important figures, William "Strata" Smith, the surveyor who made the world's first geological map. Winchester, a fellow former geologist, does an admirable job describing Smith's life; most notable are his chapters devoted to Smith's years spent surveying and mapping the English countryside. I acknowledge Winchester's brief forays in cliche and melodramatic writing, but most of this slender tome is replete with fine, elegant prose. My own minor complaint is Winchester's failure to note that Smith almost singlehandedly created the geological science known as biostratigraphy, which was an essential component of Smith's geological map of Great Britain. Yet Winchester observes correctly the importance of Smith's pioneering efforts to later generations of British geologists such as Darwin and Lyell. Truly, what William Smith made was the map that changed the world. I hope Winchester delves into the lives of other important geologists now forgotten by the public, such as the Americans James Hall and Charles Schuchert.
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Summary: Does Not Live Up to Its Title, But Still Interesting
Review: Simon Winchester's follow up to The Professor and the Madman is the rather too grandly titled The Map That Changed the World (William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology). It does not quite live up to this title (how could it?) but it does hit the highlights of the life of William Smith, an important and influential progenitor of modern geology. And what a life, with its great swings of success and failure, betrayal and loyalty, and moments of class warfare. The story is told well by the author although he emphasizes the importance of Smith too frequently instead of letting the reader understand that through the story itself and he minimizes discoveries on the continent that were leading in similar directions as William Smith. Still, all in all, a quick, interesting read.
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Summary: The Map That Changed The World
Review: This book is very easy to put down. I have labored through about 1/3 but I intend to perservere only because I purchased it. Anyone with a minimal understanding of geology will stand shoulder to shoulder with the knowledge I have thus far gleened from this book.
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Summary: Doesn't Quite Deliver
Review: I'm a big fan of this genre -- though admittedly I haven't read Winchester's acclaimed "Professor and Madman" -- but this book I found tedious, if interesting. There's a lot of build-up, but the climax is rather anticlimactic. This would have made a good feature article, but doesn't hold up as a full-length book. Also, I found the geological explanations difficult to follow, the use of footnotes on nearly every page (and in mouse-sized type) very cloying, and the editing shoddy. The author sets us up to believe that the map "changed the world" by moving it from a dogma-based to science-based paradigm, but provides little direct evidence to support this. Smith's achievement rather seems to parallel this change, not precipitate it.
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Summary: Remembering Forgotten Genius
Review: I first read Simon Winchester when I came across his book The Professor and the Madman. This wonderful book is the story of the development of the OED. Now he has written a book on William Smith, the man who developed many of the ideas of rock stratification which laid the foundation for modern geology. The ultimate expression of Smith's genius was the production of the world's first geological map which gives this book its title. Smith's story is a fascinating one and Winchester tells it well. Smith, a rural blacksmith's son, is orphaned and works his way up to being what in today's language we would call a civil engineer. As he works on the construction of coal mines and canals he see the strata of rock and collects fossils, coming to the understanding that the relationship between these things tells us about the age of the rock layers. This concept will have far-reaching repercussions in science. Winchester also tells us of Smith's struggles to get his work recognized in a class-stratified world of gentleman-scholar-scientists. Along the way, Smith overextends himself financially and finds himself in debtors' prison. After that, he and his reputation seem to fade away only to be resurrected near the end of his life when he begins to reap some of the honors for his work in a field which has since passed him by. Then he fades away again. Winchester is beginning to make a habit of writing stories bringing to light forgotten people making important discoveries and doing important work that has changed our world. I hope it is a habit he continues. I am already looking forward to the next gem he digs up. He and Dava Sobel are a one-two punch of brilliant modern writing on scholars and scientists who deserve to be remembered.
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Summary: Well-crafted hero worship, beautifully packaged.
Review: "The Map That Changed The World" is an interesting and very well-written intellectual history, focusing on the geological/cartographic contribution of the humbly born surveyor William Smith, who through vision, smarts and dedication was to become the "Father of English Geology." Winchester begins by setting the cultural and intellectual stage of 18th century England, explaining how Smith overcame conventional wisdom, cultural bias, and difficult financial circumstances to create the world's first geological map. The book is an absolutely beautiful thing in and of itself. The cover unfolds to reveal Smith's map in lovely color and detail, and the text is interspersed with smaller maps, tables, and fine ink-stippled drawings of fossils, homes, prisons and other objects relevant to the story. If you're considering buying this book, go ahead and purchase the hardback--it's a worthy addition to your bookshelf. Small criticisms: I didn't give five stars because, first, the book is such blatant hero worship (the author admits as much in a footnote) that I wondered if I was getting the full and balanced story. Second, although the book is an "easy read," the general reader may find some of the geological detail to be a little dry (happily, Winchester's great prose makes the science lesson go down easy). Finally, I'm not sure the book lives up to the title--I would have enjoyed a little more of a postscript on just how the map impacted the study of Smith's contemporaries and followers, in geology and in other fields. Still, these are minor criticisms. Winchester is a wonderful writer and tells a good story here. I would recommend this one to anyone interested in history, cartography, or science--and again, don't wait for the paperback.
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Summary: Did it?
Review: Is Winchester's claim that this is THE MAP THAT CHANGED THE WORLD based on scientific fact, or is mere writer's hyperbole. The publishers are certainly believers and went so far as to make the book's cover into a cleverly designed fold-out miniature of the famous map. The huge (8ft x 6ft) original multicolored strata map, showing the rock layers and fossils of England was published in 1815, and it did indeed have a somewhat revolutionary impact on the social and intellectual climate of the period. This was "a world of dogma, faith and certainty" says the author. So much so that the church - through the divine wisdom and supreme authority of its Bishops - was quite confident in stating that the world was created at 9am on Monday, Oct.23, 4004BC. Who was going to argue? This "first geologic map of anywhere in the world" with its fossil evidence of extinctions from a lot earlier than the church's date was a direct assault on the creation myth. Winchester points out that this was not Smith's intention as "Strata Smith" or "Smith, the drainer" was a simple man of "low birth". His careers as surveyor, canal builder & drainage expert, and cartographer meant he was strictly interested in earthly matters; lofty ecclesiastical debates and discussions about the age of the heavens were not for him. He in fact remained a believer in Biblical creationism all his life. Nevertheless his creation is, as Winchester says, "a map that allowed human beings to start at last to stagger out from the fogs of religious dogma, and to come to understand something certain about their own origins". Any other changes the map brought? Unfortunately it did not bring immediate recognition nor wealth to its owner. It appears that in 19th century England, class distinctions and social barriers were more resistant to change than even church beliefs. The Geological Society of England, to whom Smith presented the map, received it well; his reception was another matter entirely. "Smith simply would not do...he was unpolished and ill educated. He did not know how to dress or to dine." He was denied membership, and was left to conclude that "the theory of geology is in possession of one class of men while the practice in another." He had time to ponder the reality of this when he was placed in Kings Bench - debtors prison. During his stay the Society claimed his map as their own and published an almost identical version in 1819. This rocky patch of fortune was however not a permanent condition of life and in a pleasing ending to a good story, we learn that Smith, in 1831, 16 years after first publishing his map, finally got the deserved recognition. The same Geological Society - minus the priggish members - awarded him the Wollaston Medal, geology's highest honor. You don't need to know much geology to enjoy THE MAP THAT CHANGED THE WORLD and what terms you do come across are covered with a very good glossary. This is popular history at its very best.
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