The Abyss of Time: Changing Conceptions of the Earth's Antiquity After the Sixteenth Century -- Unraveling the Mystery of the Earth's Age
Los Angeles, California: Jeremy P. Tarcher, 1986. 1st Printing. Trade Paperback. Very Good. Item #2337533
ISBN: 087477389X
First printing. Edge wear, page ridges faintly foxed.
251 pp. "Nominated for the American Book Award in Science in 1981, The Abyss of Time tackles the primary question of the geological sciences: How old is the Earth' Easily accessible and entertaining to nonscientific readers, it reflects the passionate, lifelong thinking of a distinguished scientist and teacher about the metaphor and reality of time. The conception of the vastness of time is as important to Western thought as the projected vastness of space, and both subjects are steeped in controversy. The author responds gently but authoritatively to creationist theory as he leads readers through the discoveries and adventures that resulted in modern knowledge of the earth's astonishing antiquity. From Steno's contemplation of fossilized shark's teeth in 1666 through Holmes' time scales of 1960, this volume examines the work of Hooke, Buffon, Lyell, Hutton, Cuvier, Darwin, Agassiz, Kelvin, and Rutherford for an elegant account of one of our planet's great scientific detective stories."
Price: $6.00