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Krakatoa - The Day The World Exploded |
Although a minutely detailed history of a volcano, Winchester manages to present it as the history of volcanoes in general, how they are 'born', where they 'live', the animal and plant-life that belong to them. His total involvement with Krakatoa and the aftermath of its eruption in 1883 gives the reader the feeling that the volcano is more animal than mineral. The pace is fast, the maps copious and clear, the amount of information incredible.
(Kathie Somerwil Ayrton - bwl 23 April 2004) |
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The Map that Changed the World |
Based on the first geological map of England, itself a unique concept, this is a biography of its creator, William 'Strata' Smith who, the son of a blacksmith, rose by his own scientific observations and in spite of much adversity, to be the acknowledged 'founding Father of Geology'. This book gives, although repetitious and needlessly flowery in places, a useful insight into social issues when the Industrial Revolution started to make itself felt.
(Kathie Somerwil Ayrton - bwl 23 April 2004) |
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The Map that Changed the World |
I love it when a forgotten human story ties in with a great scientific advance. The labours of the canal-digger William Smith to create the world's first scientific geological map certainly fit that category. Defying the belief that the layers were the work of God, Smith's life's-work was on the science of stratigraphy but his great achievements were at first snubbed then stolen by the Royal Geological Society before recognition arrived in his dotage.
(Clive Yelf - bwl 44 February 2008) |
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The Meaning of Everything - The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary |
If you have read The Surgeon of Crowthorne (bwl 3) you might, like me, have felt you would like to know more about the creation of the OED from its inception in 1857 to the completion of the 1st edition in 1928. This book written in Winchester's usual racy style, satisfyingly fills those gaps, bringing a subject which many might consider dry as dust to exuberant life. It makes the mind boggle!*
*boggle - verb informal 1) to be astonished or baffled 2) (boggle at) hesitate to do. Origin probably related to Bogey. C16. OED
(Jenny Baker - bwl 24 June 2004) |
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The Surgeon of Crowthorne |
This is the story of two remarkable Victorian men. It is also about the creation of the greatest dictionary of the English language : the OED. If that sounds heavily academic, it is also about murder, war, madness and sex ; all ingredients of a good thriller. And it is.
(James Baker - bwl 3 May 2000) |
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