Annals of the former world
by John McPhee · first published 1983
63% recommend26% neutral11% critical
Why HN recommends it
Narrative nonfiction that makes geology engaging through vivid road-cut field trips and a history of US geology. It suits readers with no geology background and those who enjoy strong prose.
Common criticism: Some find it a long slog across its many pages
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"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 he traveled with." "Like the terrain it covers, Annals of the Former World tells a many-layered tale, and the reader may choose one of many paths through it, guided by twenty-five new maps and the "Narrative Table of Contents" (an essay outlining the history and structure of the project). Read sequentially, the
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2013–2025Assembling California
John McPhee
Recommended by 7 · mentioned by 87 recommend · 8 mention7 recommend · 87 recommend
2018–2024Encounters with the archdruid
John McPhee
Recommended by 3 · mentioned by 53 recommend · 5 mention3 recommend · 53 recommend
2012–2020The map that changed the world
Simon Winchester
Recommended by 5 · mentioned by 55 recommend · 5 mention5 recommend · 55 recommend
2009–2026Curve of Binding Energy
John McPhee
Recommended by 19 · mentioned by 2419 recommend · 24 mention19 recommend · 2419 recommend
2007–2026Gödel, Escher, Bach
Douglas R. Hofstadter
Recommended by 505 · mentioned by 1,055505 recommend · 1,055 mention505 recommend · 1,055505 recommend
…WY coal per hour into 2,000 MW of electricity for the Pacific Coast. But, it's keeping all the pollution for Wyoming. You can learn a hundred more interesting facts, in poetic story form, by reading: Annals of the Former World by John McPhee. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005H0O8KQ/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?...
on “How to Get Wyoming Wind to California, and Cut 80% of U.S. Carbon Emissions” ↗John McPhee's Pulitzer-winning _The Annals of the Former World_ is arguably 1000 (wonderful) pages made _possible_ by road cuts... something he gleefully expounds upon. Geologists don't get budgets to do section hills to check out their innards. Strangely, federal…
on “City workers destroy 'Holy Grail' for earthquake scientists” ↗Another great book is _Annals of the Former World_ by John McPhee (at least regarding US geology): http://www.amazon.com/Annals-Former-World-John-McPhee/dp/037...
on “Obama's Secret Weapon In The South is 129 Million Years Old” ↗…the current state of deployed US Military. Monsoon is about the importance of the Indian Ocean area, and Revenge of Geography is about the importance of geography in shaping geopolitics. John McPhee - Annals of the Former World. History of North America from a geological perspective.
on “Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s Eight Books Everyone Should Read” ↗Annals of the Former World by McPhee. It's a geologic history of the United States, from Precambrian time to now, as well as a history of human understanding of geology. The intersection of billions of years of history, a scale…
on “Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?” ↗John McPhee: Annals of the former world, Simon Winchester: The Map that Changed the World, Lutgens et al.: Essentials of Geology
on “Ancient Earth Globe” ↗John McPhee is an amazing writer. These articles eventually became his book, Assembling California, which in 1998 was republished as part of a collection of his books on geology entitled Annals of the Former World. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annals_of_the_Former_World https://www.amazon.com/dp/0374518734
on “Assembling California (1992)” ↗If you’re interested in this stuff I definitely recommend checking out ‘Annals of the Former World’ if you haven’t already. I have no geology background but found it utterly riveting https://www.amazon.com/Annals-Former-World-John-McPhee/dp/03...
on “GM has signed an agreement to extract lithium from beneath the Salton Sea” ↗John McPhee's wonderful and Pulitzer-winning non-fiction natural history The Annals of the Former World about geology—specifically North American geology as exposed in highway road cuts! This title which was collects a series of books originally published in series and only collected in a single volume…
on “The Geological Sublime” ↗For people interested in the subject generally I highly recommend John McPhee's anthology "Annals of the Former World." Actually I highly recommend everything John McPhee has written but this is a good start :).
on “Geologists may have solved mystery of Green River's 'uphill' route” ↗"If by some fiat I had to restrict all this writing to one sentence, this is the one I would choose: The summit of Mt. Everest is marine limestone." John McPhee from the wonderful Annals of the former world
on “I found a seashell in the middle of the desert” ↗McPhee is one of those are authors who can make science approachable and at the same time, the everyday people around it deeply fascinating. To HN readers I would recommend The Curve of Binding Energy or Annals of the Former World.
on “Built to Last: John McPhee's Way of Seeing” ↗Annals of the Former World is incredible. The topic is so dry, it's about rocks, but his writing so so compelling it propels you forward into the story. I kept finding myself wondering why I was finding it interesting, since by…
on “Built to Last: John McPhee's Way of Seeing” ↗John McPhee stated, rather breezily, in The Annals of the Former World, that the next ice age is due in 90K years. He did mention there were three or so cyclical events that have to line up. I think, with all your animosity, you might be making a lot of assumptions that…
on “The water is coming for Copenhagen; good design could be its best defence” ↗Currently Reading: Annals of the Former World - John McPhee https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/78.Annals_of_the_Former_... My Years with GM - Alfred P. Sloan Jr. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/275912.My_Years_with_Gene...
on “Ask HN: What is HN reading?” ↗