News has recently come my way regarding a newly published book from Princeton University Press by Prof. Noah Heringman titled “Deep Time; A Literary History,” in which the professor undertakes a cross-disciplinary exploration of reflections of the title concept in the works of eighteenth and nineteenth century natural historians.
To bring William Smith’s revolutionary discoveries as well as the glory of his maps to the wider reading public, The University of Chicago Press has published the first complete presentation of his works in their lavishly illustrated, large format book “Strata; William Smith’s Geological Maps.”
Have you ever stopped to closely examine the wall of an old stone building? You should. It may be made of a particularly interesting type of stone, or contain tiny fossils that would be easily missed by the casual passer-by. Raymond Wiggers is an enthusiastic advocate of such investigations, and his new field guide to the structures of the Chicago area can open the door to such explorations to a wide range of readers.
Not being raised in a location where shingle (pebble) beaches are common, the idea of pebble collecting was not one of which I became aware until a few years ago, when I happened upon the 2018 re-issue of Clarence Ellis’ classic 1954 book “The Pebbles on the Beach; A Spotter’s Guide.” I was instantly captivated by the past-time’s delightful combination of gentle contemplativeness, potential for surprises, and connection to natural history.