Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
W W Norton & Co Inc (1985), Edition: 1, 476 pages
Description
Evolutionary theory in the theme that binds together these essays on such seemingly disparate topics as the feeding habits of flamingos, flowers and snails that change from male to female and sometimes back again, and the extinction from baseball of the .400 hitter.
User reviews
LibraryThing member psiloiordinary
This is another collection of essays loosely based around evolutionary biology (with some inevitable baseball references).
This is what the author is best at. He like language and uses it in his own verbose and slightly pompous manner but once again we can see that he doesn't seem to have a nasty
Having now seen him talk on you tube I can picture him reading the book to me, slightly out of breath, fiddling with his glasses dramatically and pausing for effect quite often. This only helps the enjoyment all the more.
Some of the material covered is getting old now (1987) so bear that in mind, but I particularly enjoyed some of the "period" references e.g. the dino-killing impact theory.
If you haven't read Gould then this might be a decent place to start - if you have read him then this is a cracking example of him in the medium he does best.
This is what the author is best at. He like language and uses it in his own verbose and slightly pompous manner but once again we can see that he doesn't seem to have a nasty
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bone in his body.Having now seen him talk on you tube I can picture him reading the book to me, slightly out of breath, fiddling with his glasses dramatically and pausing for effect quite often. This only helps the enjoyment all the more.
Some of the material covered is getting old now (1987) so bear that in mind, but I particularly enjoyed some of the "period" references e.g. the dino-killing impact theory.
If you haven't read Gould then this might be a decent place to start - if you have read him then this is a cracking example of him in the medium he does best.
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LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
Love Gould, as usual. I can never remember which essays are in which - this is neither one of his first ones, where he's somewhat more accepting of standard stories, nor one of his later ones where his cancer becomes a frequent player, so I have no idea which of his stories are in here. But I
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enjoyed them! Not the first time I've read this one, either. He always makes me think, even on multiple re-reading. Show Less
LibraryThing member iayork
Evolutionary Biology?: Is there any other type of modern biology? Evolution is so deeply interwined in today's biology that it almost seems a tautology to classify this book under Evolutionary Biology. Gould's reflections are masterpieces of rationality and logic heavily supported with facts and
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exposed with an uneven grace and uniqueness. This, as a lot of other Gould's books, is a collection of essays that don't need to be read in order since they are not chapters, their organization obeys the main subject of each essay, not a unique plot developed along the book. This is an easy and incredibly interesting journey inside reason and natural science, please don't hesitate if you want to be taken by the hand of one of the greatest zoologists of the twentieth century. Show Less
LibraryThing member nmele
Interesting essays, as always, about how science works, evolution and natural history. Reading these essays is a pleasure, tinged with regret that Stephen Jay Gould is no longer writing them.
LibraryThing member Cheryl_in_CC_NV
Just didn't do much for me. Maybe if I'd had more education in these fields.
LibraryThing member JBD1
Gould's fourth essays volume, which includes some real crackers. The title essay is a great read, for example. As usual, though, some have aged better than others.
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1985
ISBN
0393022285 / 9780393022285