The Pulitzer Prize-winning view of the continent, across the fortieth parallel and down through 4.6 billion years Twenty years ago, when John McPhee began his journeys back and forth across the United States, he planned to describe a cross section of North America at about the fortieth parallel and, in the process, come to an understanding not only of the science but of the style of the geologists he traveled with. The structure of the book never changed, but its breadth caused him to complete it in stages, under the overall titleAnnals of the Former World. Like the terrain it covers,Annals of the Former Worldtells a multilayered tale, and the reader may choose one of many paths through it. As clearly and succinctly written as it is profoundly informed, this is our finest popular survey of geology and a masterpiece of modern nonfiction. John McPheeis the author of more than 25 books, includingAnnals of the Former World, for which he received the Pulitzer Prize in Nonfiction in 1999. He has been a staff writer atThe New Yorkersince 1965 and lives in Princeton, New Jersey. McPhee'sEncounters with the ArchdruidandThe Curve of Binding Energywere both nominated for National Book Awards in the category of science. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize For much of twenty years, John McPhee traveled back and forth across the United States in the company of geologists. His aim was to write a complex work describing a cross-section of North America at about the fortieth parallel and, in so doing, to give an account of the "deep history" of the continent 4.6 billion years as well as of the science of geology and the styles of the geologists he traveled with. The breadth of the work led him to complete it in stages, each of which was acclaimed upon publication (Basin and Range,In Suspect Terrain,Rising from the Plains,Assembling California, andCrossing the Craton); and when it was published in full, asAnnals of the Former World, it was recognized as a masterpiece of nonfiction writing: an organic succession of set pieces, flashbacks, biographical sketches, and histories of the human and lithic kind. Like the terrain it covers,Annals of the Former Worldtells a many-layered tale, and the reader may take paths through it. Profoundly informed, clearly and succinctly written, it is our finest popular survey of geology, and a summation of John McPhee's work. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize "No other work explains so well . . . the living principles of geology" Henry Kisor,Chicago Sun-Times "A magnum opus, a hallmark in literary scientific journalism." Blake Edgar,San Francisco Chronicle "McPhee makes it all work. He somehow makes his nearly 700 pages of geological discourse sound like the archetypal drama of the planet. (As, indeed, it may be.)" Rob Laymon,The Philadelphia Inquirer "No other work explains so well . . . the living principles of geology . . . McPhee has turned the world on to rocks." Henry Kisor,Chicago Sun-Times "Sunlit, brilliant . . . this book of wonders . . . ranks with theJournals of Lewis and Clark." John Skow,Time "[McPhee] triumphs by succinct prose, by his . . . ability to capture the essence of a complex issue . . . in a well-turned phrase." Stephen Jay Gould,The New York Review of Books "Tripling as a geology primer, an autobiography and a panorama of the nation, bejeweled with splendid vignettes and set-pieces,Annals of the Former Worldoffers a view of America like no other. It is the outpouring of a master stylist. Yield to its geopoetry and have your eyes opened to a barely known aspect of the continent."̵ Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

A feast for all John McPhee fans, this major book incorporates some of the author's best work on geology into a comprehensive tour de force. Those familiar with McPhee's writing on the subject of geology will know that his narrative includes not only scientific theory but also portraitures of his geologic guides. While the majority of this material has appeared in the New Yorker and in books such as Basin and Range, In Suspect Terrain and Rising from the Plains, the collection, which includes 20,000 new words, is much more than a recycling of past writing. As McPhee says, "The text has been meshed, melded, revised, in some places cut, and everywhere studied for repetition." McPhee's many fans won't be disappointed with the high-quality descriptive portraits of geologists, their work and theories. Since the writing follows McPhee's previous works and not any set geography or geologic logic, the author has provided what he calls a "Narrative Table of Contents," which not only describes each section in turn but the theories discussed in it. In this near flawless compilation of ambitious and expansive scope, McPhee's personalized style remains consistent and triumphant: "Ebbets Field, where they buried the old Brooklyn Dodgers, was also on the terminal moraine. When a long-ball hitter hit a long ball, it would land on Bedford Avenue and bounce down the morainal front to roll toward Coney Island on the outwash plain. No one in Los Angeles would ever hit a homer like that." 25 maps, not seen by PW. (June) From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

McPhee is the most celebrated contemporary writer on North American geology, and Annals is his magnum opus, combining edited and revised sections from previous works with two new essays. (LJ 5/1/98) From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Well-known writer McPhee's book has impressive depth in its understanding, explaining, and illustrating of the geological evolution of a cross section of North America, centered along the 40th parallel. Five chapters (termed "books") are included, four of which were published previously in the 1980s and early '90s. These original contributions deal with the geology and geologists involved with various parts of the US: the "Basin and Range" area of the western US (book 1); "In Suspect Terrain" (book 2); "Rising from the Plains" (book 3); and book 4 "Assembling California." The final book, "Crossing the Craton," deals largely with the early geological history of what we now call North America. Thus, sections of book 5 include portions on such topics as the "Oldest Rocks," the "Archean Craton," and "The Andean Margin of Kansas." An intriguing and deeply fascinating tale that McPhee tells effectively, this book can be read with benefit by interested lay persons through professional geologists. List of maps; extensive, 30-page subject and geographic index. All levels. J. T. Andrews; University of Colorado at Boulder From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

McPhee was born in Princeton, New Jersey, and educated at Princeton University and Cambridge University. His writing career began at Time magazine and led to his long association with the New Yorker, where he has been a staff writer since 1965.

That same year he published his first book, A Sense of Where You Are, with FSG, and soon followed with The Headmaster (1966), Oranges (1967), The Pine Barrens (1968), A Roomful of Hovings and Other Profiles (collection, 1969), The Crofter and the Laird (1969), Levels of the Game (1970), Encounters with the Archdruid (1972), The Deltoid Pumpkin Seed (1973), The Curve of Binding Energy (1974), Pieces of the Frame (collection, 1975), and The Survival of the Bark Canoe (1975). Both Encounters with the Archdruid and The Curve of Binding Energy were nominated for National Book Awards in the category of science

Since 1977, the year in which McPhee received the Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and The John McPhee Reader and the bestselling Coming into the Country appeared in print, Farrar, Straus and Giroux has published Giving Good Weight (collection, 1979), Basin and Range (1981), In Suspect Terrain (1983), La Place de la Concorde Suisse (1984), Table of Contents (collection, 1985), Rising from the Plains (1986), Heirs of General Practice (in a paperback edition, 1986), The Control of Nature (1989), Looking for a Ship (1990), Assembling California (1993), The Ransom of Russian Art (1994), The Second John McPhee Reader (1996), and Irons in the Fire (1997). Annals of the Former World was published in 1998 and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1999.

McPhee has taught at Princeton as Ferris Professor since 1975.

(Bowker Author Biography) Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.