The dramatic history of planet Earth and the rocky road to understanding the past * A probing account of the history of the earth and an introduction to the many eccentric characters that have attempted to understand its origins. * Full of fascinating anecdotes about 19th century explorers and natural philosophers who first carved up Earth's history just as others were carving up the globe. * Unravels the fascinating history of rock strata and the implications they have had on accepted theories on the Earth's life. * Considers the future of the earth, and what a repeat of some of the catastrophic events of the earth's past, such as major earthquakes and asteroid collisions, could mean for life today.