100 Best Geology Books of All Time (Updated for 2026)

1

The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History

Elizabeth Kolbert

5.0

Over the last half-billion years, there have been five mass extinctions, when the diversity of life on earth suddenly and dramatically contracted. Scientists around the world are currently monitoring the sixth extinction, predicted to be the most devastating extinction event since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs. This time around, the cataclysm is us.

In prose that is at once fran

Recommended by Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and 6 others.

Barack Obama

Former USA President

The president also released a list of his summer favorites back in 2015: All That Is, James Salter The Sixth Extinction, Elizabeth Kolbert The Lowland, Jhumpa Lahiri Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates Washington: A Life, Ron Chernow All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr [source]

Bill Gates

CEO/Microsoft

The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, by Elizabeth Kolbert. Climate change is a big problem—one of the biggest we’ll face this century—but it’s not the only environmental concern on the horizon. Humans are putting down massive amounts of pavement, moving species around the planet, over-fishing and acidifying the oceans, changing the chemical composition of rivers, and more. Natural scientists posit that there have been five extinction events in the Earth’s history (think of the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs), and Kolbert makes a compelling case that human activity is leading to the sixth. Unlike a lot of people who write about the environment, Kolbert doesn’t resort to hype. She just lays out the facts and wraps them in memorable anecdotes. It’s a sobering but engaging and informative read. [source]

Jeff Bezos

Founder/Amazon

"In his autobiography, Walmart's founder expounds on the principles of discount retailing and discusses his core values of frugality and a bias for action — a willingness to try a lot of things and make many mistakes. Bezos included both in Amazon's corporate values," Brad Stone writes. [source]

2

Annals of the Former World

John McPhee

5.0

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

Recommended by Daniel Pink.

3

A Short History of Nearly Everything

Bill Bryson

4.9

Preview Summary

In Bryson's biggest book, he confronts his greatest challenge: to understand—and, if possible, answer—the oldest, biggest questions we have posed about the universe and ourselves. Taking as territory everything from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization, Bryson seeks to understand how we got from there being nothing at all to there being us. To that end, he has attached himself to a host of the

Recommended by Amanda Palmer, David Goldberg, and Fabrice Grinda.

Amanda Palmer

Amanda Palmer recommended this book in the book "Tools of Titans". [source]

David Goldberg

What I really liked about A Short History of Nearly Everything is that it gives an excellent account of a lot of the personalities and the interconnectedness of important discoveries in cosmology and elsewhere. He does such a great job of bringing together our understanding of cosmology, evolution, paleontology, and geology in a very, very fluid way. [source]

Fabrice Grinda

I have lots of books to recommend, but they are not related to my career path. The only one that is remotely related is Peter Thiel’s Zero to One. That said here are books I would recommend. [source]

4

The Map That Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology

Simon Winchester

4.8

In 1793, a canal digger named William Smith made a startling discovery. He found that by tracing the placement of fossils, which he uncovered in his excavations, one could follow layers of rocks as they dipped and rose and fell -- clear across England and, indeed, clear across the world -- making it possible, for the first time ever, to draw a chart of the hidden underside of the earth. Determined

5

The Story of Earth: The First 4.5 Billion Years, from Stardust to Living Planet

Robert M. Hazen

4.7

Hailed by The New York Times for writing “with wonderful clarity about science . . . that effortlessly teaches as it zips along,” nationally bestselling author Robert M. Hazen offers a radical new approach to Earth history in this intertwined tale of the planet’s living and nonliving spheres. With an astrobiologist’s imagination, a historian’s perspective, and a naturalist’s eye, Hazen calls upon

6

Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883

Simon Winchester

4.7

The bestselling author of The Professor and the Madman and The Map That Changed the World examines the enduring and world-changing effects of the catastrophic eruption off the coast of Java of the earth's most dangerous volcano — Krakatoa.

The legendary annihilation in 1883 of the volcano-island of Krakatoa — the name has since become a byword for a cataclysmic disaster — was followed by an immens

7

Basin and Range

John McPhee

4.6

The first of John McPhee’s works in his series on geology and geologists, Basin and Range is a book of journeys through ancient terrains, always in juxtaposition with travels in the modern world—a history of vanished landscapes, enhanced by the histories of people who bring them to light. The title refers to the physiographic province of the United States that reaches from eastern Utah to eastern

8

National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Rocks and Minerals

National Audubon Society

4.6

Perfect for mountain climbers and hikers, this valuable reference covers more rocks and minerals in North America than any other available guide. 794 full-color photographs depict all the important rocks, gems, and minerals -- in many variations of color and crystal form -- and the natural environments in which they occur; written descriptions provide information on field marks, similar rocks and

9

Rocks & Minerals

Chris Pellant

4.5

Created in association with Smithsonian Institution, this authoritative guide features more than 500 rocks and minerals. Packed with photographs and details on characteristics, distinguishing features, and more, Smithsonian Handbooks: Rocks and Minerals makes identification easy.

Designed for beginning and experienced collectors alike, this guide explains what rocks and minerals are, how they are c

10

Earth: An Intimate History

Richard Fortey

4.5

In Earth, the acclaimed author of Trilobite! and Life takes us on a grand tour of the earth’s physical past, showing how the history of plate tectonics is etched in the landscape around us.

Beginning with Mt. Vesuvius, whose eruption in Roman times helped spark the science of geology, and ending in a lab in the West of England where mathematical models and lab experiments replace direct observation

11

The Control of Nature

John McPhee

4.5

While John McPhee was working on his previous book, Rising from the Plains, he happened to walk by the engineering building at the University of Wyoming, where words etched in limestone said: "Strive on--the control of Nature is won, not given." In the morning sunlight, that central phrase--"the control of nature"--seemed to sparkle with unintended ambiguity. Bilateral, symmetrical, it could with

Recommended by Ryan Holiday.

12

Underland

Robert Macfarlane

4.5

From the best-selling, award-winning author of Landmarks and The Old Ways, a haunting voyage into the planet’s past and future.

Hailed as "the great nature writer of this generation" (Wall Street Journal), Robert Macfarlane is the celebrated author of books about the intersections of the human and the natural realms. In Underland, he delivers his masterpiece: an epic exploration of the Earth’s unde

Recommended by Alastair Humphreys, Cal Flyn, and Jonathan Green.

Alastair Humphreys

The cleverest and nicest man in the world of travel writing has just published a brilliant new book which you should definitely buy. And so has @robgmacfarlane... 😂 https://t.co/7tWMRoB08W https://t.co/2UmUfDUqpt [source]

Cal Flyn

Having climbed the highest heights in his debut Mountains of the Mind, Macfarlane now dives down to the lowest of the lows. He goes caving in limestone caverns deep underground, rattles through salt mines under the sea in carts and stumbles across (literal) underground subcultures in the Paris catacombs, all interwoven with learned digressions into geological epochs and classical conceptions of the underworld. What can I say? Macfarlane is the most remarkable writer. [source]

Jonathan Green

@mmbrenn yes the best book i read last year without question. beautiful. harrowing. [source]

13

Rising from the Plains

John McPhee

4.5

This is about high-country geology and a Rocky Mountain regional geologist. I raise that semaphore here at the start so no one will feel misled by an opening passage in which a slim young woman who is not in any sense a geologist steps down from a train in Rawlins, Wyoming, in order to go north by stagecoach into country that was still very much the Old West.

So begins John McPhee's Rising from the

14

The Ends of the World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and Our Quest to Understand Earth's Past Mass Extinctions

Peter Brannen

4.5

As new groundbreaking research suggests that climate change played a major role in the most extreme catastrophes in the planet's history, award-winning science journalist Peter Brannen takes us on a wild ride through the planet's five mass extinctions and, in the process, offers us a glimpse of our increasingly dangerous future

Our world has ended five times: it has been broiled, frozen, poison-ga

Cover unavailable

15

Assembling California

John McPhee

4.5

At various times in a span of fifteen years, John McPhee made geological field surveys in the company of Eldridge Moores, a tectonicist at the University of California at Davis. The result of these trips is Assembling California, a cross-section in human and geologic time, from Donner Pass in the Sierra Nevada through the golden foothills of the Mother Lode and across the Great Central Valley to t

16

A Crack in the Edge of the World

Simon Winchester

4.4

s/t: America & the Great California Earthquake of 1906
Geologically speaking, 1906 was a violent year: powerful, destructive earthquakes shook the ground from Taiwan to South America, while in Italy, Mount Vesuvius erupted. And in San Francisco, a large earthquake occurred just after five in the morning on April 18--and that was just the beginning. The quake caused a conflagration that raged for th

Recommended by Khurshid Alam.

Khurshid Alam

In 1906, one of the largest earthquakes in American history almost entirely destroyed the American West’s great city of San Francisco. Simon Winchester focuses on the response to the earthquake, which was one of the first to be documented by the media. The earthquake caused a fire that lasted for three days and was far more destructive than the quake itself. Insurance companies refused to pay out in the majority of cases because few people at that time had cover specifically for earthquakes./p> [source]

17

Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History

Stephen Jay Gould

4.4

High in the Canadian Rockies is a small limestone quarry formed 530 million years ago called the Burgess Shale. It hold the remains of an ancient sea where dozens of strange creatures lived—a forgotten corner of evolution preserved in awesome detail. In this book Stephen Jay Gould explores what the Burgess Shale tells us about evolution and the nature of history.

Recommended by Richard Fortey.

Richard Fortey

Regarded almost as a demi-god, Gould’s written a number of good books. He writes extremely well, but the book that touched me most was this one. [source]

18

Reading the Rocks: The Autobiography of the Earth

Marcia Bjornerud

4.4

To many of us, the Earth's crust is a relic of ancient, unknowable history. But to a geologist, stones are richly illustrated narratives, telling gothic tales of cataclysm and reincarnation. For more than four billion years, in beach sand, granite, and garnet schists, the planet has kept a rich and idiosyncratic journal of its past. Fulbright Scholar Marcia Bjornerud takes the reader along on an e

19

Your Inner Fish: A Journey Into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body

Neil Shubin

4.4

Preview Summary

Why do we look the way we do? What does the human hand have in common with the wing of a fly? Are breasts, sweat glands, and scales connected in some way? To better understand the inner workings of our bodies and to trace the origins of many of today's most common diseases, we have to turn to unexpected sources: worms, flies, and even fish.

Neil Shubin, a leading paleontologist and professor of ana

20

The Seashell on the Mountaintop: A Story of Science, Sainthood, and the Humble Genius who Discovered a New History of the Earth

Alan Cutler

4.3

21

The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection: Or, the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life

Charles Darwin

4.3

Darwin's theory of natural selection issued a profound challenge to orthodox thought and belief: no being or species has been specifically created; all are locked into a pitiless struggle for existence, with extinction looming for those not fitted for the task.

Yet The Origin of Species (1859) is also a humane and inspirational vision of ecological interrelatedness, revealing the complex mutual in

Recommended by Neil deGrasse Tyson, Mark Kurlansky, Adam Maloof, and 3 others.

Neil deGrasse Tyson

Astrophysicist, Author & Science Communicator

Which books should be read by every single intelligent person on planet? … On the Origin of Species (Darwin) to learn of our kinship with all other life on Earth. If you read all of the above works you will glean profound insight into most of what has driven the history of the western world. [source]

Mark Kurlansky

It is one of the most important books written, and I always urge people to read it. [source]

Adam Maloof

For me (and many others) this book forms the foundation for modern biology. It is all about humans’ concept of themselves. [source]

22

In Suspect Terrain

John McPhee

4.3

From the outwash plains of Brooklyn to Indiana's drifted diamonds and gold In Suspect Terrain is a narrative of the earth, told in four sections of equal length, each in a different way reflecting the three others—a biography; a set piece about a fragment of Appalachian landscape in illuminating counterpoint to the human history there; a modern collision of ideas about the origins of the mountain

23

The Practical Geologist: The Introductory Guide to the Basics of Geology and to Collecting and Identifying Rocks

Dougal Dixon

4.3

From exploring the basic principles of geology to starting a rock and mineral collection, The Practical Geologist is the perfect introduction to the world of earth science.
Beginning with a history of the earth's formation and development, this book explores the substances that compose the planet, movements within the earth, the surface effects of weather and water, and underground landscapes.
I

24

Principles of Geology

Charles Lyell, James A. Secord

4.3

One of the key works in the nineteenth-century battle between science and Scripture, Charles Lyell's Principles of Geology (1830-33) sought to explain the geological state of the modern Earth by considering the long-term effects of observable natural phenomena. Written with clarity and a dazzling intellectual passion, it is both a seminal work of modern geology and a compelling precursor to Darwin

25

Cascadia's Fault: The Coming Earthquake and Tsunami That Could Devastate North America

Jerry Thompson, Simon Winchester

4.3

There's a crack in the earth's crust that runs roughly 31 miles offshore, approximately 683 miles from northern California up through Vancouver Island off the coast of British Columbia. The Cascadia Subduction Zone has generated massive earthquakes over and over again throughout geologic time; at least 36 major events in the last 10,000 years. This fault generates a monster earthquake about every

26

Voyage of the Beagle

Charles Darwin

4.3

s/t: Charles Darwin's Journal of Researches
When the Beagle sailed out of Devonport on 27 December 1831, Charles Darwin was twenty-two and setting off on the voyage of a lifetime.
It was to last five years and transform him from an amiable and somewhat aimless young man into a scientific celebrity. Even more vitally, it was to set in motion the intellectual currents that culminated in the arrival o

Recommended by Tim White and Tom Clarke.

Tim White

Darwin is a great writer and an excellent observer so it is a good place to start understanding where we came from, and how we came to that understanding. [source]

Tom Clarke

Darwin sees Valparaiso destroyed by an earthquake erupting and is horrified by the brutality of nature. [source]

27

The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth, #1)

N. K. Jemisin

4.3

Three terrible things happen in a single day. Essun, masquerading as an ordinary schoolteacher in a quiet small town, comes home to find that her husband has brutally murdered their son and kidnapped their daughter. Mighty Sanze, the empire whose innovations have been civilization's bedrock for a thousand years, collapses as its greatest city is destroyed by a madman's vengeance. And worst of all,

Recommended by Jacquelyn Gill and John Lilly.

Jacquelyn Gill

@MaraWilson It’s such an amazing book. One of my all-time favorites—and the entire trilogy is that strong! [source]

John Lilly

@fredmcclimans First author to win 3 Hugos in a row. So: not bad! First book strongest imho, but all of it great. [source]

28

Roadside Geology of Northern and Central California

David Alt, Donald W. Hyndman, et al.

4.3

California's geology makes headlines when faults shift, volcanoes puff steam, and coastal bluffs fall into the sea. The latest edition of this popular book explores the state's recent rumblings and tremulous past with the aid of full color illustrations. Spectacular photographs showcase multihued rock, from red chert and green serpentinite to blue schist and gray granite. The color geologic road m

29

Trilobite: Eyewitness to Evolution

Richard Fortey

4.2

With Trilobite, Richard Fortey, paleontologist and author of the acclaimed Life, offers a marvelously written, smart and compelling, accessible and witty scientific narrative of the most ubiquitous of fossil creatures.

Trilobites were shelled animals that lived in the oceans over five hundred million years ago. As bewilderingly diverse then as the beetle is today, they survived in the arctic or the

30

Eruption: The Untold Story of Mount St. Helens

Steve Olson

4.2

For months in early 1980, scientists, journalists, sightseers, and nearby residents listened anxiously to rumblings in Mount St. Helens, part of the chain of western volcanoes fueled by the 700-mile-long Cascadia fault. Still, no one was prepared when an immense eruption took the top off of the mountain and laid waste to hundreds of square miles of verdant forests in southwestern Washington State.

31

Hard Road West: History and Geology along the Gold Rush Trail

Keith Heyer Meldahl

4.2

In 1848 news of the discovery of gold in California triggered an enormous wave of emigration toward the Pacific. Lured by the promise of riches, thousands of settlers left behind the forests, rain, and fertile soil of the eastern United States in favor of the rough-hewn lands of the American West. The dramatic terrain they struggled to cross is so familiar to us now that it is hard to imagine how

32

Inside the Earth (The Magic School Bus, #2)

Joanna Cole, Bruce Degen

4.2

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Scholastic is re-releasing the ten original Magic School Bus titles in paperback. With updated scientific information, the bestselling science series ever is back!

Rock collecting has never been quite like this! When the class forgets to do its homework, a fieldtrip through the Earth's crust, into the center of the Earth, and out through a volcano will teach them

33

T. Rex and the Crater of Doom

Walter Alvarez

4.2

"The story of one of the greatest adventures of twentieth-century science, told by the central figure.... It is a great read for both scientist and layperson." Richard Muller, author of "Nemesis: The Death Star." Sixty-five million years ago, a comet or asteroid larger than Mt. Everest slammed into the Earth, causing an explosion equivalent to the detonation of a hundred million hydrogen bombs. Va

34

Coming Into the Country

JOHN MCPHEE

4.2

This is the story of Alaska and the Alaskans. Written with a vividness and clarity which shifts scenes frequently, and yet manages to tie the work into a rewarding whole, McPhee segues from the wilderness to life in urban Alaska to the remote bush country.

Recommended by Peter Hessler.

Peter Hessler

In my opinion Coming into the Country, about Alaska, is his best book. It describes the natural history and scenery in incredible detail, but he’s also writing about a very unusual part of America, and how it was becoming what it is now. He was there at an interesting moment in the seventies, when they were trying to find a new capital for the state. There were a lot of decisions to be made about resource management, and he illuminates those issues as well as describing how communities and individuals function in this incredibly rugged place. It’s a wonderful book. [source]

35

The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World

Steve Brusatte

4.2

Brusatte traces the evolution of dinosaurs from their inauspicious start as small shadow dwellers—themselves the beneficiaries of a mass extinction caused by volcanic eruptions at the beginning of the Triassic period—into the dominant array of species every wide-eyed child memorizes today, T. rex, Triceratops, Brontosaurus, and more. This gifted scientist and writer re-creates the dinosaurs’ peak

36

The Man Who Found Time: James Hutton And The Discovery Of Earth's Antiquity

Jack Repcheck

4.2

There are three men whose contributions helped free science from the straitjacket of theology. Two of the three-Nicolaus Copernicus and Charles Darwin-are widely known and heralded for their breakthroughs. The third, James Hutton, never received the same recognition, yet he profoundly changed our understanding of the earth and its dynamic forces. Hutton proved that the earth was likely millions of

37

Why Geology Matters: Decoding the Past, Anticipating the Future

Doug Macdougall

4.2

Volcanic dust, climate change, tsunamis, earthquakes—geoscience explores phenomena that profoundly affect our lives. But more than that, as Doug Macdougall makes clear, the science also provides important clues to the future of the planet. In an entertaining and accessibly written narrative, Macdougall gives an overview of Earth’s astonishing history based on information extracted from rocks, ice

38

Journey to the Center of the Earth (Extraordinary Voyages, #3)

Jules Verne

4.2

The intrepid Professor Liedenbrock embarks upon the strangest expedition of the nineteenth century: a journey down an extinct Icelandic volcano to the Earth's very core. In his quest to penetrate the planet's primordial secrets, the geologist--together with his quaking nephew Axel and their devoted guide, Hans--discovers an astonishing subterranean menagerie of prehistoric proportions. Verne's ima

Recommended by Roxana Bitoleanu, Simon Winchester, and Tullis Onstott.

Roxana Bitoleanu

If I have to choose only one non-business book I would pick Jules Verne's "A journey to the center of the earth", as a symbolic journey to the unknown, deep down, just like our personal search for meaning, for our inner driver. [source]

Simon Winchester

A fantastic piece of science fiction – it’s basically about explorers who want to know what’s inside the earth. [source]

Tullis Onstott

The book has just enough science that it seems real. [source]

39

The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World

Andrea Wulf

4.2

The acclaimed author of Founding Gardeners reveals the forgotten life of Alexander von Humboldt, the visionary German naturalist whose ideas changed the way we see the natural world—and in the process created modern environmentalism.

Alexander von Humboldt (1769 – 1859) was an intrepid explorer and the most famous scientist of his age. In North America, his name still graces four counties, thirtee

40

A Rock Is Lively

Dianna Hutts Aston, Sylvia Long

4.2

From the award-winning creators of An Egg Is Quiet, A Seed Is Sleepy, and A Butterfly Is Patient comes a gorgeous and informative introduction to the fascinating world of rocks. From dazzling blue lapis lazuli to volcanic snowflake obsidian, an incredible variety of rocks are showcased in all their splendor. Poetic in voice and elegant in design, this book introduces an array of facts, making it e

41

Timefulness: How Thinking Like a Geologist Can Help Save the World

Marcia Bjornerud

4.2

Why an awareness of Earth's temporal rhythms is critical to our planetary survival

Few of us have any conception of the enormous timescales in our planet's long history, and this narrow perspective underlies many of the environmental problems we are creating for ourselves. The passage of nine days, which is how long a drop of water typically stays in Earth's atmosphere, is something we can easily g

42

Life on a Young Planet: The First Three Billion Years of Evolution on Earth - Updated Edition

Andrew H. Knoll

4.2

Australopithecines, dinosaurs, trilobites--such fossils conjure up images of lost worlds filled with vanished organisms. But in the full history of life, ancient animals, even the trilobites, form only the half-billion-year tip of a nearly four-billion-year iceberg. Andrew Knoll explores the deep history of life from its origins on a young planet to the incredible Cambrian explosion, presenting a

Recommended by Andrew Scott, Paul Falkowski, and Richard Fortey.

Andrew Scott

Knoll shows the intimate relationship between the evolution of life and the evolution of the planet. [source]

Paul Falkowski

What Andy has done is really exposed us to the world before animals and plants, when there was strong evidence of life but the world was totally controlled by single celled organisms, the protists. [source]

Richard Fortey

It’s very important, when we muck around with the atmosphere as we’re doing, to realise that what we have is actually a product of this ineffable and long period of planetary evolution. [source]

43

When Life Nearly Died: The Greatest Mass Extinction of all Time

Michael Benton

4.2

Today it is common knowledge that the dinosaurs were wiped out by a meteorite impact 65 million years ago that killed half of all species then living. Far less well-known is a much greater catastrophe that took place at the end of the Permian period 251 million years ago: 90 percent of life was destroyed, including saber-toothed reptiles and their rhinoceros-sized prey on land, as well as vast num

44

Uranium: War, Energy and the Rock That Shaped the World

Tom Zoellner

4.2

45

The Rocks Don't Lie: A Geologist Investigates Noah's Flood

David R. Montgomery

4.2

In Tibet, geologist David R. Montgomery heard a local story about a great flood that bore a striking similarity to Noah's Flood. Intrigued, Montgomery began investigating the world's flood stories and, drawing from historic works by theologians, natural philosophers, and scientists, discovered the counter-intuitive role Noah's Flood played in the development of both geology and creationism. Steno,

46

Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water

Marc Reisner

4.2

The story of the American West is the story of a relentless quest for a precious resource: water. It is a tale of rivers diverted and dammed, of political corruption and intrigue, of billion-dollar battles over water rights, of ecologic and economic disaster. In Cadillac Desert Marc Reisner writes of the earliest settlers, lured by the promise of paradise, and of the ruthless tactics employed by L

47

Life: A Natural History of the First Four Billion Years of Life on Earth

Richard Fortey

4.2

A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice

"Extraordinary. . . . Anyone with the slightest interest in biology should read this book."--The New York Times Book Review

"A marvelous museum of the past four billion years on earth--capacious, jammed with treasures, full of learning and wide-eyed wonder."--The Boston Globe

From its origins on the still-forming planet to the recent emergence of Homo sapi

48

Origins: How Earth's History Shaped Human History

Lewis Dartnell

4.2

A New York Times-bestselling author explains how the physical world shaped the history of our species
When we talk about human history, we often focus on great leaders, population forces, and decisive wars. But how has the earth itself determined our destiny? Our planet wobbles, driving changes in climate that forced the transition from nomadism to farming. Mountainous terrain led to the developm

49

Time's Arrow, Time's Cycle: Myth and Metaphor in the Discovery of Geological Time

Stephen Jay Gould

4.2

Rarely has a scholar attained such popular acclaim merely by doing what he does best and enjoys most. But such is Stephen Jay Gould's command of paleontology and evolutionary theory, and his gift for brilliant explication, that he has brought dust and dead bones to life, and developed an immense following for the seeming arcana of this field.

In Time's Arrow, Time's Cycle his subject is nothing les

50

Supercontinent: Ten Billion Years in the Life of Our Planet

Ted Nield

4.2

To understand continental drift and plate tectonics, the shifting and collisions that make and unmake continents, requires a long view. The Earth, after all, is 4.6 billion years old. This book extends our vision to take in the greatest geological cycle of all--one so vast that our species will probably be extinct long before the current one ends in about 250 million years. And yet this cycle, the

51

Essentials of Geology

Stephen Marshak

4.2

Essentials of Geology, Fifth Edition, integrates Marshak s popular and proven text approach with exciting new media and assessment resources that guide students to a clearer understanding of the course material. Marshak has personally applied his expertise, with an emphasis on the visuals, to this robust suite of videos, animations and simulations, art, and interactive assessment questions that ge

52

Full-Rip 9.0: The Next Big Earthquake in the Pacific Northwest

Sandi Doughton

4.1

Scientists have identified Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver as the urban centers of what will be the biggest earthquake—the Really Big One—in the continental United States. A quake will happen--in fact it's actually overdue. The Cascadia subduction zone is 750 miles long, running along the Pacific coast from Northern California up to southern British Columbia. In this fascinating book, The Seattle

53

The Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World

Deborah Cadbury

4.1

The story of two nineteenth-century scientists who revealed one of the most significant and exciting events in the natural history of this planet: the existence of dinosaurs. In 'The Dinosaur Hunters' Deborah Cadbury brilliantly recreates the remarkable story of the bitter rivalry between two men: Gideon Mantell uncovered giant bones in a Sussex quarry, became obsessed with the lost world of the r

Recommended by Paul Barrett.

Paul Barrett

This [source]

54

Simon Schuster's Guide to Rocks and Minerals

Martin Prinz, George Harlow, Joseph Peters

4.1

Practical, concise, and easy to use, Simon & Schuster's Guide to Rocks and Minerals contains everything that the rock and mineral enthusiast needs to know. This field guide is divided into two large sections -- one devoted to minerals and one to rocks, each prefaced by a comprehensive introduction that discusses formation, chemistry, and more. All 377 entries, beautifully illustrated with color ph

55

Snowball Earth: The Story of the Great Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know It

Gabrielle Walker

4.1

Did the Earth once undergo a super ice age, one that froze the entire planet from the poles to the equator? In Snowball Earth, gifted writer Gabrielle Walker has crafted an intriguing global adventure story, following maverick scientist Paul Hoffman’s quest to prove a theory so audacious and profound that it is shaking the world of earth sciences to its core.

In lyrical prose that brings each remot

56

Earthquake Storms: The Fascinating History and Volatile Future of the San Andreas Fault

John Dvorak

4.1

It is a prominent geological feature that is almost impossible to see unless you know where to look. Hundreds of thousands of people drive across it every day. The San Andreas Fault is everywhere, and primed for a colossal quake. For decades, scientists have warned that such a sudden shifting of the Earth’s crust is inevitable. In fact, it is a geologic necessity.

The San Andreas fault runs almost

57

Understanding Earth

John Grotzinger, Thomas H. Jordan, Frank Press, Raymond Siever

4.1

More than any other introductory physical geology textbook, Understanding Earth is designed to bring the worldview of the working geologist to an audience not only new to this specific field, but in many cases to science in general. Students aren't merely presented with concepts and processes--they come to learn how we know what we know, and how that knowledge impacts their lives as citizens and c

58

Earth

James F. Luhr

4.1

59

The Planet in a Pebble: A Journey Into Earth's Deep History

Jan Zalasiewicz

4.1

This is the story of a single pebble. It is just a normal pebble, as you might pick up on holiday - on a beach in Wales, say. Its history, though, carries us into abyssal depths of time, and across the farthest reaches of space.

This is a narrative of the Earth's long and dramatic history, as gleaned from a single pebble. It begins as the pebble-particles form amid unimaginable violence in distal r

Recommended by Andrew Scott.

Andrew Scott

The book is a real gem. It illustrates not only how all the sciences are involved in unraveling the history of our planet but the sheer excitement of the discoveries and that there is a story for us all to unravel. [source]

60

The Universe Within: Discovering the Common History of Rocks, Planets, and People

Neil Shubin

4.1

Kirkus Best Books of the Year (2013)

From one of our finest and most popular science writers, and the best-selling author of Your Inner Fish, comes the answer to a scientific mystery as big as the world itself: How are the events that formed our solar system billions of years ago embedded inside each of us?

In Your Inner Fish, Neil Shubin delved into the amazing connections between human bodies—ou

61

Salt: A World History

Mark Kurlansky

4.1

Preview Summary

From the Bestselling Author of Cod and The Basque History of the World

In his fifth work of nonfiction, Mark Kurlansky turns his attention to a common household item with a long and intriguing history: salt. The only rock we eat, salt has shaped civilization from the very beginning, and its story is a glittering, often surprising part of the history of humankind. A substance so valuable it served a

62

I Let You Go

Clare Mackintosh

4.1

A tragic accident. It all happened so quickly. She couldn't have prevented it. Could she?

In a split second, Jenna Gray's world descends into a nightmare. Her only hope of moving on is to walk away from everything she knows to start afresh. Desperate to escape, Jenna moves to a remote cottage on the Welsh coast, but she is haunted by her fears, her grief and her memories of a cruel November night t

63

Ancient Landscapes of the Colorado Plateau

Ron Blakey and Wayne Ranney

4.1

Imagine seeing the varied landscapes of the earth as they used to look throughout hundreds of millions of years of earth history. Tropical seas lap on the shores of an Arizona beach. Immense sand dunes shift and swirl in Sahara-like deserts in Utah and New Mexico. Ancient rivers spill from a mountain range in Colorado that was a precursor to the modern Rockies. Such flights of geologic fancy are n

64

Stories in Stone: Travels Through Urban Geology

David B. Williams

4.1

Most people do not think to look for geology from the sidewalks of a major city, but for David B. Williams any rock used as building material can tell a fascinating story. All he has to do is look at building stone in any urban center to find a range of rocks equal to any assembled by plate tectonics. In Stories in Stone, he takes you on his explorations to find 3.5-billion-year-old rock that look

65

Desert Solitaire

Edward Abbey

4.1

First published in 1968, Desert Solitaire is one of Edward Abbey’s most critically acclaimed works and marks his first foray into the world of nonfiction writing. Written while Abbey was working as a ranger at Arches National Park outside of Moab, Utah, Desert Solitaire is a rare view of one man’s quest to experience nature in its purest form.

Through prose that is by turns passionate and poetic, A

Recommended by Hari Kunzru and Robert Macfarlane.

Hari Kunzru

He has a deep love for this place and he’s amusing to read because he’s such a strong personality. His writing is extraordinary. [source]

Robert Macfarlane

Abbey is full of passion, fury and contempt – a fiery fighter to shake up the sometimes over-tranquil atmosphere of nature writing. [source]

66

Earth: An Introduction to Physical Geology

Edward J. Tarbuck

4.1

For all introductory physical geology courses. Learning Objective-driven textbook, using augmented reality to bring geology to life With its strong readability and engaging, instructive illustrations, this trusted bestseller returns with a hybrid and streamlined focus on core principles. Earth: An Introduction to Physical Geology maintains a learning objective-driven approach throughout each chap

67

The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution

Richard Dawkins

4.1

Charles Darwin’s masterpiece, On the Origin of Species, shook society to its core on publication in 1859. Darwin was only too aware of the storm his theory of evolution would provoke but he would surely have raised an incredulous eyebrow at the controversy still raging a century and a half later. Evolution is accepted as scientific fact by all reputable scientists and indeed theologians, yet milli

68

Roadside Geology of Arizona

Halka Chronic

4.1

The rise of mountains and the spread of deserts has marked the geologic history of Arizona. Landscapes that we see today are here because of landscapes of the past, and because of tremendous forces deep within the earth, forces that carry continents into collisions and then drag them apart again, forces of heat and pressure and the slow churning boil of the earth's interior. Landscape features res

69

Roadside Geology of Washington (Roadside Geology Series)

David D. Alt

4.1

70

Scribble Stones

Diane Alber

4.1

Friendship, fun, and romance await you in Berry High's theatre class...if you can make it through your first day!

Reading Progress Percentage:
1) 7%
2) 13%
3) 20%
4) 27%
5) 33%
6) 40%
7) 47%
8) 53%
9) 60%
10) 67%
11) 73%
12) 80%
13) 87%
14) 93%
15) 100%

71

The Earth After Us: What Legacy Will Humans Leave in the Rocks?

Jan Zalasiewicz

4.1

Geologist Jan Zalasiewicz takes the reader on a fascinating trip one hundred million years into the future--long after the human race becomes extinct--to explore what will remain of our brief but dramatic sojourn on Earth. He describes how geologists in the far future might piece together the history of the planet, and slowly decipher the history of humanity from the traces we will leave impressed

72

Apocalyptic Planet: Field Guide to the Ever-Ending Earth

Craig Childs

4.1

The earth has died many times, and it always comes back looking different. In an exhilarating, surprising exploration of our planet, Craig Childs takes readers on a firsthand journey through apocalypse, touching the truth behind the speculation. "Apocalyptic Planet" is a combination of science and adventure that reveals the ways in which our world is constantly moving toward its end and how we can

73

Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters

Donald R. Prothero, Carl Buell

4.1

Donald R. Prothero's Evolution is an entertaining and rigorous history of the transitional forms and series found in the fossil record. Its engaging narrative of scientific discovery and well-grounded analysis has led to the book's widespread adoption in courses that teach the nature and value of fossil evidence for evolution. Evolution tackles systematics and cladistics, rock dating, neo-Darwinis

Recommended by Jerry Coyne.

Jerry Coyne

It is the one book that lays out in great detail some of the strongest evidence for evolution, which is the fossil record. [source]

74

Principles of Sedimentology and Stratigraphy

Sam Boggs Jr.

4.1

This concise treatment of the fundamental principles of sedimentology and stratigraphy highlights the important physical, chemical, biological, and stratigraphic characteristics of sedimentary rocks. It emphasizes the ways in which the study of sedimentary rocks is used to interpret depositional environments, changes in ancient sea level, and other intriguing aspects of Earth’s history.

75

The Great Quake: How the Biggest Earthquake in North America Changed Our Understanding of the Planet

Henry Fountain

4.1

In the tradition of Erik Larson's Isaac's Storm, a riveting narrative about the biggest earthquake in recorded history in North America--the 1964 Alaskan earthquake that demolished the city of Valdez and obliterated the coastal village of Chenega--and the scientist sent to look for geological clues to explain the dynamics of earthquakes, who helped to confirm the then controversial theory of plate

76

Roadside Geology Of Colorado (Roadside Geology Series)

Halka Chronic

4.0

Informative travel companions about roadside terrain and geology with photos, diagrams, and glossary.

77

The Hidden Landscape: A Journey into the Geological Past

Richard Fortey

4.0

'A very well written book about geology and geological history' Sir David Attenborough, The Times

'I travelled to Haverfordwest to get to the past. From Paddington Station a Great Western locomotive took me on a journey westwards from London further and further back into geological time, from the age of mammals to the age of trilobites...'

So begins this enthralling exploration of time and place in

78

Nature's Clocks: How Scientists Measure the Age of Almost Everything

Doug Macdougall

4.0

"Radioactivity is like a clock that never needs adjusting," writes Doug Macdougall. "It would be hard to design a more reliable timekeeper." In Nature's Clocks, Macdougall tells how scientists who were seeking to understand the past arrived at the ingenious techniques they now use to determine the age of objects and organisms. By examining radiocarbon (C-14) dating—the best known of these methods—

79

The Crystal Bible: A Definitive Guide to Crystals

Judy Hall

4.0

Cover unavailable

80

The Book of Stones: Who They Are and What They Teach

Robert Simmons, Naisha Ahsian, et al.

4.0

Often dubbed the "crystals bible," this comprehensive reference guide to the spiritual and healing qualities of 455 sacred stones has become the go-to book for looking up the properties of gems and minerals. Each entry includes vivid color photographs for each stone to aid identification and to showcase its beauty, as well as listing its scientific information, its element and chakra correspondenc

81

Geology: A Complete Introduction

David Rothery

4.0

Written by David Rothery, who is Professor of Planetary Geosciences at the Open University, Geology: A Complete Introduction is designed to give you everything you need to succeed, all in one place. It covers the key areas that students are expected to be confident in, outlining the basics in clear English, and then providing added-value features like a glossary of the essential jargon terms, link

82

Frozen Earth: The Once and Future Story of Ice Ages

Doug Macdougall

4.0

In this engrossing and accessible book, Doug Macdougall explores the causes and effects of ice ages that have gripped our planet throughout its history, from the earliest known glaciation—nearly three billion years ago—to the present. Following the development of scientific ideas about these dramatic events, Macdougall traces the lives of many of the brilliant and intriguing characters who have co

83

National Geographic Pocket Guide to Rocks and Minerals of North America

Sarah Garlick

4.0

This basic beginner's field guide to North American geology helps anyone identify common rocks, minerals, gems, fossils, and land formations. In a logical, user-friendly, highly visual format, this new title--one of an expanding collection of National Geographic pocket guides--offers key facts about dozens of rocks and minerals, how to hunt and identify them, where and how to go looking. The book

84

The Obelisk Gate (The Broken Earth, #2)

N. K. Jemisin

4.0

This is the way the world ends... for the last time.

The season of endings grows darker as civilization fades into the long cold night. Alabaster Tenring – madman, world-crusher, savior – has returned with a mission: to train his successor, Essun, and thus seal the fate of the Stillness forever.

It continues with a lost daughter, found by the enemy.

It continues with the obelisks, and an ancient myst

85

Kindness Rocks

Sonica Ellis

4.0

86

Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations

David R. Montgomery

4.0

Dirt, soil, call it what you want—it's everywhere we go. It is the root of our existence, supporting our feet, our farms, our cities. This fascinating yet disquieting book finds, however, that we are running out of dirt, and it's no laughing matter. An engaging natural and cultural history of soil that sweeps from ancient civilizations to modern times, Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations explores t

87

Bretz's Flood: The Remarkable Story of a Rebel Geologist and the World's Greatest Flood

John Soennichsen

4.0

Channeled Scablands, between Idaho and the Cascades, is a unique landscape of basalt cliffs, dry waterfalls, canyons, and coulees. Legendary geologist J Harlen Bretz was the first to explore the area, starting in the 1920s. This dramatic book tells the story of this scientific maverick — how he came to study the region, his radical theory that a flood of biblical proportions created it, and how a

88

In Search of Ancient Oregon: A Geological and Natural History

Ellen Morris Bishop

4.0

Geology is an extremely visual subject, and In Search of Ancient Oregon is a beautifully photographed, expertly written account of Oregon's fascinating geological story. Written by a passionate and professional geologist who has spent countless hours in the field exploring and photographing the state, In Search of Ancient Oregon is a book for all those interested in Oregon's landscapes and environ

89

Rare Earth: Why Complex Life Is Uncommon in the Universe

Peter D. Ward, Donald Brownlee

4.0

What determines whether complex life will arise on a planet, or even any life at all? Questions such as these are investigated in this groundbreaking book. In doing so, the authors synthesize information from astronomy, biology, and paleontology, and apply it to what we know about the rise of life on Earth and to what could possibly happen elsewhere in the universe. Everyone who has been thrilled

Recommended by Adam Maloof and James Kasting.

Adam Maloof

This book looks at a classic Carl Sagan idea that if there are zillions of stars and bazillions of planets in the universe, then there must be at least millions of habitable planets with complex life. [source]

James Kasting

They are very pessimistic about the chances of complex life outside Earth, by which they mean animal life, and, of course, that includes intelligent life. [source]

90

Physical Geology: Earth Revealed

Diane Carlson and Charles (Carlos) Plummer

4.0

"Physical Geology: Earth Revealed" is appropriate for introductory physical geology classes. This text, which includes the same information as the market-leading "Physical Geology" - 13th edition, by Plummer/Carlson, is for the instructor who prefers to cover plate tectonics early in the course. The ninth edition has been updated to include the most current information from the various sub-discipl

91

The Panda's Thumb: More Reflections in Natural History

Stephen Jay Gould

4.0

With sales of well over one million copies in North America alone, the commercial success of Gould's books now matches their critical acclaim. The Panda's Thumb will introduce a new generation of readers to this unique writer, who has taken the art of the scientific essay to new heights.

Were dinosaurs really dumber than lizards? Why, after all, are roughly the same number of men and women born int

Recommended by Jim Collins.

92

A Peterson Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals

Frederick H. Pough, Roger Tory Peterson, Jeffrey Scovil

4.0

The definitive guide to rocks and minerals, completely updated for the fifth edition, includes 385 color photographs showing rocks, minerals, and geologic formations. Hundreds of minerals are described, with details such as geographic formations. Hundreds of minerals are described, with details such as geographic distribution, physical properties, chemical composition, and crystalline structures.

93

Oxygen: The Molecule That Made the World

Nick Lane

4.0

In Oxygen, Nick Lane takes the reader on an enthralling journey as he unravels the unexpected ways in which oxygen spurred the evolution of life and death. He shows how oxygen underpins the origin of biological complexity, the birth of photosynthesis, the sudden evolution of animals, the need for two sexes, the accelerated aging of cloned animals like Dolly the sheep, and the surprisingly long liv

94

Roadside Geology of Utah (Roadside Geology Series)

Halka Chronic

4.0

Cover unavailable

95

Encounters with the Archdruid

John McPhee, Betty Crumley

4.0

The narratives in this book are of journeys made in three wildernesses - on a coastal island, in a Western mountain range, and on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. The four men portrayed here have different relationships to their environment, and they encounter each other on mountain trails, in forests and rapids, sometimes with reserve, sometimes with friendliness, sometimes fighting hard a

96

Structural Geology

Haakon Fossen

4.0

Lavishly illustrated in color, this textbook takes an applied approach to introduce undergraduate students to the basic principles of structural geology. The book provides unique links to industry applications in the upper crust, including petroleum and groundwater geology, which highlight the importance of structural geology in exploration and exploitation of petroleum and water resources. Topics

97

Gemstones of the World

Walter Schumann

4.0

This is truly the ultimate one-volume book every hobbyist, jeweler, jewelry maker, and rockhound will ever need!

Following the spectacular success of the first four editions of Gemstones of the World, the revised fifth edition exhibits important updates and a beautiful new cover. All the gemstones ever discovered—now over 1,900—are treated in their many variations. More than 1,500 full-color photo

98

The Stone Sky (The Broken Earth, #3)

N. K. Jemisin

4.0

This is the way the world ends... for the last time.

The Moon will soon return. Whether this heralds the destruction of humankind or something worse will depend on two women.

Essun has inherited the power of Alabaster Tenring. With it, she hopes to find her daughter Nassun and forge a world in which every orogene child can grow up safe.

For Nassun, her mother's mastery of the Obelisk Gate comes too

99

Windows Into the Earth: The Geologic Story of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks

Robert B. Smith, Lee J. Siegel

4.0

Millions of years ago, the North American continent was dragged over the world's largest continental hotspot, a huge column of hot and molten rock rising from the Earth's interior that traced a 50-mile wide, 500-mile-long path northeastward across Idaho. Generating cataclysmic volcanic eruptions and large earthquakes, the hotspot helped lift the Yellowstone Plateau to more than 7,000 feet and push

100

Ricky, the Rock That Couldn't Roll

Jay Miletsky

4.0

Get ready to meet a new rock group! From zippy, little pebbles to big strong boulders, the rocks (and their ladybug friend) get together to play and roll around their favorite hill, only to find that one of their friends, Ricky, can't roll with them. Unlike all of the others, who are all round, Ricky can't roll because he's flat on one side. Determined not to leave their friend behind, the rocks a