Author:Roger Osborne
The Floating Egg begins with the search for an alchemist's secret, and ends with the re-imagination of a past world. Each chapter is connected to a particular corner of north-east England, and each explores the uncertain line where myth is dissolved into science, and belief gives way to knowledge.
Different episodes show how the fall of Constantinople converted the common rock of the Yorkshire cliffs into a source of extraordinary wealth and power, and how this in turn uncovered the inhabitants of a succession of past worlds; how a stone falling from the sky near this same coast changed the minds of all the natural philosophers of Europe; and how a new science was born on the top of the tower of York Minster. We learn about the cloak-and-dagger world of fossil trading in the town of Whitby; and we see the entire life-work of a forgotten scientific genius who died from consumption at the age of twenty-five, having revolutionised his science.
The stories move from documentary accounts to fictional recreations of historic events, from contemporary writing and illustrations to present-day reflection. By using different ways of describing the world of scientific endeavour, the author has produced a fascinating visually beautiful and highly entertaining book which allows us to witness the birth of a new science - the science of geology.
A wonderful tome...beautifully structured...utterly fascinating... Reading The Floating Egg is a captivating experience because there is at least one surprise in every chapter... Roger Osborne has combined portions of history, biology, architecture, palaeontology, astronomy - and a large dose of humour - and produced the fascinating story of how geology came to be
—— The TimesHis exploration of geology's Yorkshire roots is infallibly entertaining...A delightful book...quirky and thoroughly Yorkshire, and all the better for that
—— New ScientistA mammoth task at which he succeeds admirably.
—— EconomistCould not be bettered as a popular introduction to genetic knowledge.
—— Independent on SundayShe's a total ninja.
—— Ben GoldacreThe charming Dr Marc Abraham
—— RTEPaul Greenberg observes ... we are at a significant moment
—— EconomistAccessible and enlightening ... It's not Greenberg's way to preach; he's happier letting the facts speak for themselves
—— ObserverRequired reading for anyone who eats seafood ...Greenberg is an unfailingly entertaining writer, and his book arms you with the information you need to make intelligent choices when you are confronted by the ... offerings at the fish counter
—— AtlanticLucid, readable ... a story well told
—— Charles Clover , Sunday TimesAn elegantly composed and strikingly level-headed inquiry into our relationship with the fish we eat and the waters that sustain them
—— Tom Fort , Sunday TelegraphA powerful case for action ... combining on-the-ground and on-the-ocean reporting from the Yukon to Greece, from the waters off New England to the Mekong Delta, along with accounts of some stirring fishing trips, Greenberg makes a powerful argument ... marvellous exploration of that contradiction, a necessary book for anyone interested in what we take from the sea to eat, and how, and why
—— Sam Sifton , ScotsmanOren Harman's outstanding new biography of the American scientist George Price makes the case that Price's theoretical contributions to biology are among the most important of the twentieth century...Price was undoubtedly an opaque figure; Harman has approached his life with sensitivity and intelligence, providing a clearer window into this troubled mind
—— Tom Bailey , TLSMoving biography exploring a geneticst's understanding of human selflessness
—— The TimesAn energetic tale that presents not only the science but the history and politics which produced it
—— Islington Tribune
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