Rating: 
Summary: History of a science
Review:
I have a nearly complete degree in geology, and like most students of the subject, I?d heard of Nicolaus Steno and his principles (superposition, original horizontality, and lateral continuity). I also have degrees in history and a natural curiosity about the human aspect of science, but very little more is ever said about Steno in textbooks other than that he was among the first founders of the discipline. Alan Cutler corrects that sparsity of information in his book The Seashell on the Mountaintop: How Nicolaus Steno Solved an Ancient Mystery and Created a Science of the Earth.
Like Galileo before him, Steno?s ideas came ahead of their time and met with resistance. Unlike the latter, however, Steno?s work was not deemed a threat to the Catholic Church which doubtless had learned through the Galileo affair that knowledge will spread despite its proscription and had come to terms with it. Steno?s work on the geological structure of the earth and its history?even the idea that the earth had a history?presented in his opus De Solido met with greater resistance from the Protestant religions in the north, which at that time had a more literal interpretation of the Biblical texts, particularly the order of creation.
Surprisingly it also met with skepticism from the scientific community itself. Whereas the concepts of Galileo had been readily accepted by northern students of science, even preserved when they had been suppressed in Italy, interestingly Steno found the reverse. He had readily found a supporter at the Medici court?incidentally the same supporters of Galileo?and found no difficulty in having his theories published. In northern regions, however, there was a firm conviction that fossils of sea creatures found on mountain tops were simply unusual rocks. The fact that no representative living species could be found anywhere was often stated as the basis of this belief. Although it seems impossible that the great minds of the time were unable to accept the evidence of their own eyes with respect to these anomalous fossils, Cutler?s careful sketch of the culture of the time, its belief systems, and its stage in scientific development makes this more understandable. As he points out the fossil evidence in the north was older and more of the fauna extinct than that in the south because glacial activity had removed the younger strata. Even a concept of a glacial age was a generation away and Darwinian evolution with its principles of speciation and extinction was even further in the future. Scientists were only beginning to realize that the age of the earth was a far cry from the 6000 years it was believed to be by most of the community or even of the million or so years it was believed was possible by some.
As a biography and tale of human interest, Steno's life is intriguing. His life began like a dream come true. An anatomist of astounding ability, he made major contributions to the understanding of the human body. His knowledge and abilities were accorded great respect throughout Europe before he was twenty eight, which would be considered an early age by modern standards. (By the standards of the time, one could easily be dead long before twenty eight.) His later work in geology was supported by the famous Florentine rulers, the Medici, and condoned by the Roman Catholic Church. Interesting and intriguing was his conversion from Protestantism to Catholicism, even to entering the priesthood during middle age. His passion for the church earned him a bishopric, but his aestheticism broke his health, ultimately caused his death, but achieved him a canonization. In all a life well and variedly lived!
As a critique of science and its growth through time, its self-correction, and its record of both human attainment as well as human vanity, The Seashell on the Mountaintop can hardly be beaten. It emphasizes that while scientists are humans burdened with many of the personality and social problems that other humans are, science as a discipline is subject to a constant update, evaluation, reevaluation and change that lives beyond the weaknesses and vested interests of the time.
Rating: 
Summary: Better Than "The Map That Changed The World"
Review: "The Seashell on the Mountaintop" is quite simply the best popular book on geology I've read since reading John McPhee's essay collections on North American geology and the late Stephen Jay Gould's magnificient tomes. Without question, it is a better written, far more engrossing, tale about the early history of geology than Simon Winchester's "The Map That Changed the World". Alan Cutler performs a valuable service resurrecting the reputation of Danish scientist Nicolaus Steno, whom Stephen Jay Gould - among others - regarded as the father of geology. Cutler notes correctly how Steno was the first modern scientist to recognize that the history of the earth could be read from its rocks, pointing out that individual rock layers pointed to prior submergence, followed by uplift, of the Tuscan countryside which Steno meticulously studied as a scientist of the Medici royal court in Florence, Italy. Yet Steno also recognized the importance of studying current physical processes such as the action of waves and currents, to account for the formation of the thick deposits of sedimentary rocks - indeed he was the first to understand that historical sciences like geology could be studied by observing natural events in the present; in short, an early precursor to Scottish geologist James Hutton's theory of uniformitarianism. Cutler also describes Steno's equally important discoveries of the pinal and saliva glands in an anatomical career that was as impressive as his relatively brief foray into geology. Cutler's crisp, animated - and at times lyrical - prose also paints a vivid picture of 17th Century science, and how Steno's fundamental contributions to geology influenced the science, having a lasting impact to this very day.
Rating:
Summary: A Great book about Science
Review: Every semester for the past 20 years I have presented Steno's "laws" to my geology classes. These "laws" are fundamental concepts in the science of geology. Even so, I knew very little about Steno or how he came to formulate those ideas. Cutler's book has helped fill a large gap in my understanding of the history of geology and in a larger sense, the history of scientific thought. That the history of the earth is revealed in its strata seems an almost intuitive idea now. In Steno's time such an idea was barely conceivable, much less accepted. Yet the idea has prevailed. In addition to telling Steno's story, Cutler's book tells us the history of Steno's revolutionary idea and how it persisted long after his death.The book is easy to read yet contains an extraordinary amount of information. At times I found myself looking back at a paragraph I had just read and marveling at how simply Cutler was able to present some very important details and ideas. Such is the mark of a gifted writer. Cutler has neither misinterpreted nor distorted the facts. I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in geology or the history of science. It would be particularly appropriate in an integrative or interdisciplinary course that examines the inter-relations of philosophy and science or the dynamics between religion and science. Many of the conflicts between scientific thought and religious thought that existed in Steno's time are still being argued today. (See an earlier review on this website.) Let me revise my earlier recommendation. I recommend this book to everyone.
Rating:
Summary: This is an excellent book
Review: Every semester for the past 20 years I have presented Steno's "laws" to my geology classes. These "laws" are fundamental concepts in the science of geology. Even so, I knew very little about Steno or how he came to formulate those ideas. Cutler's book has helped fill a large gap in my understanding of the history of geology and in a larger sense, the history of scientific thought. That the history of the earth is revealed in its strata seems an almost intuitive idea now. In Steno's time such an idea was barely conceivable, much less accepted. Yet the idea has prevailed. In addition to telling Steno's story, Cutler's book tells us the history of Steno's revolutionary idea and how it persisted long after his death. The book is easy to read yet contains an extraordinary amount of information. At times I found myself looking back at a paragraph I had just read and marveling at how simply Cutler was able to present some very important details and ideas. Such is the mark of a gifted writer. Cutler has neither misinterpreted nor distorted the facts. I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in geology or the history of science. It would be particularly appropriate in an integrative or interdisciplinary course that examines the inter-relations of philosophy and science or the dynamics between religion and science. Many of the conflicts between scientific thought and religious thought that existed in Steno's time are still being argued today. (See an earlier review on this website.) Let me revise my earlier recommendation. I recommend this book to everyone.
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Summary: The Seashell on the Mountaintop-what a great book!
Review: I am a geologist and was given this book to read. I found it very interesting and very well written. I recommend this book to all geologists, nature lovers and students of religion. I didn't know what to expect, but after reading a few pages I realized that my brain and imagination were in for a pleasent ride. Very enlightening!!! Highly recommended!!!
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Contribution
Review: I am a professor of geology who teaches History of Geology at a major US university. I used this book for the first time this year and it was very well received by the students. Cutler is an outstanding writer. He knows how to get the facts straight and at the same time tell an interesting story. I am a little perplexed at the claims made in another review of this book, namely that Seashell on the Mountaintop is "full of errors". Notably, the claimant doesn't list a single one of these supposed factual errors. I know a little bit about the History of Geology, and I have not yet found a single error in Cutler's manuscript. With regard to the reviewer's wish that Seashell on the Mountaintop "be burnt", I quote John Milton: "Who kills a man kills a reasonable creature, God's image; but he who destroys a good book, kills reason itself, kills the image of God, as it were in the eye. Many a man lives a burden to the earth; but a good book is the precious life-blood of a master spirit, embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life." Seashell on the Mountaintop is a very good book indeed.
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Summary: spotlighted review here is from a crackpot
Review: I find it amazing that Amazon.com would give the spotlighted review position to a crackpot creationist who fails to substantiate his criticisms of this book. This is quite unfair to the author of this book.
Rating:
Summary: A Great book about Science
Review: I found Cutler's book an engaging and accurate read of one of Denmark's most esteemed scientists. As a student of geology, I often seek out such interesting and thought-provoking science books to help fill the gap between chapters in my dry earth history text. Please remove the Creationist propaganda from the top of your review list. This is so damaging for students of science.
Rating:
Summary: best mix of science, history, philosophy, religion
Review: I read mostly non-fiction science related works, and this by far is the best I have read. It is a nice blend of personal story of Stenno, how it relates to scientists and science of the time, and the historical and religious context. It brings in Stenno's discovery in relation to how present day geology as well as anatomy! I think it would be a great book to use in an integrative science/humanities/social studies course.
Rating: 
Summary: An interesting life
Review: I read this book for a Geology project. I love a good biography and Cutler delvered a good biography. Was his portrayal of Steno accurate? I don't know. Part of the problem seems to be that much of Steno's work has never been available in English. We should at least give Cutler credit for trying to make Steno more accessible to English readers. One of the parts covered in the book is Steno's conversion from Lutheranism to Romanism. Since other reviewers have not covered this aspect I thought it might be helpful to do so. Cutler gives quite a few details about is Steno's Christianity. Cutler describes Steno's Lutheran upbringing, his exposure to the religious pluralism afforded by the enterprising Dutch Calvinists (pg. 35), and finally his embrace of the Italian Catholics. Particularly noted by Cutler are two aspects of Steno's conversion to Roman Catholicism. First was his rejection of the Bible as the literal word of God (pg. 144). Secondly, Steno seemed to be "emotional[ly]" drawn to Romanism by its ceremony, or maybe more accurately, by its superstition. (pg. 91) Eventually, Steno became a Roman Catholic priest, and then the titular Bishop of Titiopolis. This sounds impressive but it is actually rather tragic. The Bishopric was of an area long abandoned to Muslims, and in the region where Steno was sent to minister he was rejected by most of his fellow Catholics as being too serious. His life ends with him starving himself into poor health, and eventually death. It was a sad end to a brilliant man.
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