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The Map That Changed the World de Simon Winchester

The Map That Changed the World

Autor Simon Winchester
en Limba Engleză Paperback – 15 ian 2020

Scrisă de Simon Winchester, un autor cu o vastă experiență jurnalistică la publicații de prestigiu precum The Guardian, această lucrare fundamentează istoria geologiei moderne printr-o documentare riguroasă și o perspectivă umană profundă. Observăm cum Winchester, fidel stilului său de a explora intersecția dintre știință și destinul uman, reconstruiește viața lui William Smith, un autodidact care a sfidat dogmele religioase și științifice ale secolului al XIX-lea. Apreciem modul în care autorul reușește să transforme procesul tehnic de cartografiere a straturilor pământului într-o narațiune despre perseverență și sacrificiu.

Premisa cărții se concentrează pe momentul 1793, când Smith, în timp ce săpa canale, a realizat că fosilele sunt indicatori preciși ai succesiunii straturilor de rocă. Această „epifanie” a condus la crearea primei hărți geologice a Angliei în 1815, o operă de artă pictată manual, înaltă de peste doi metri. Cititorii familiarizați cu Reading the Rocks de Brenda Maddox vor aprecia modul în care Winchester se concentrează pe figura centrală a lui Smith, oferind o biografie mult mai intimă și detaliată a omului din spatele hărții, spre deosebire de abordarea de grup din lucrarea menționată.

În contextul operei sale, The Map That Changed the World continuă preocuparea lui Winchester pentru istoria pământului și a cartografiei, teme explorate și în Land. Dacă în Exactly autorul analiza precizia inginerească, aici se apleacă asupra intuiției brute și a muncii de teren care au pus bazele industriilor moderne de petrol, cărbune și infrastructură rutieră. Structura volumului, îmbogățită cu facsimile și un glosar terminologic, facilitează înțelegerea unui domeniu tehnic fără a sacrifica ritmul narativ.

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Specificații

ISBN-13: 9780061767906
ISBN-10: 0061767905
Pagini: 368
Dimensiuni: 133 x 203 x 22 mm
Greutate: 0.46 kg
Editura: Harper Perennial

De ce să citești această carte

Această carte este esențială pentru pasionații de istoria științei și geografie istorică. Cititorul va descoperi cum o singură hartă a revoluționat economia mondială și a schimbat înțelegerea vârstei Pământului. Este o recomandare excelentă pentru cei care caută o biografie captivantă despre un geniu neînțeles care, în ciuda sărăciei și a închisorii, a reușit să pună bazele geologiei moderne.

Despre autor

Simon Winchester (născut la 28 septembrie 1944) este un autor și jurnalist britanic-american renumit pentru capacitatea sa de a populariza subiecte complexe de istorie și știință. Cariera sa la The Guardian i-a oferit o perspectivă unică asupra marilor evenimente mondiale, de la scandalul Watergate la Bloody Sunday. Cu peste zece cărți de non-ficțiune publicate, Winchester s-a specializat în narațiuni care explorează mari invenții, catastrofe naturale și personalități care au modelat lumea modernă. Experiența sa de teren și stilul erudit, dar accesibil, l-au consacrat ca unul dintre cei mai importanți scriitori contemporani de literatură documentară.

Descriere scurtă

From the author of the bestselling The Professor and the Madman comes the fascinating story of William Smith, the orphaned son of an English country blacksmith, who became obsessed with creating the world's first geological map and ultimately became the father of modern geology.
In 1793 William Smith, a canal digger, made a startling discovery that was to turn the fledgling science of the history of the earth -- and a central plank of established Christian religion -- on its head. He noticed that the rocks he was excavating were arranged in layers; more important, he could see quite clearly that the fossils found in one layer were very different from those found in another. And out of that realization came an epiphany: that by following the fossils, one could trace layers of rocks as they dipped and rose and fell -- clear across England and, indeed, clear across the world. Determined to publish his discovery by creating a map that would display the hidden underside of England, he spent twenty years traveling the length and breadth of the kingdom by stagecoach and on foot, studying rock outcrops and fossils, piecing together the image of this unseen universe.
In 1815 he published his epochal beautiful hand-painted map, more than eight feet tall and six feet wide. But four years after its triumphant publication, and with his young wife going steadily mad to the point of nymphomania, Smith ended up in debtors' prison, a victim of plagiarism, swindled out of his recognition and his profits. He left London for the north of England and remained homeless for ten long years as he searched for work. It wasn't until 1831, when his employer, a sympathetic nobleman, brought him into contact with the Geological Society of London -- which had earlier denied him a fellowship -- that at last this quiet genius was showered with the honors long overdue him. He was summoned south to receive the society's highest award, and King William IV offered him a lifetime pension.
The Map That Changed the World is, at its foundation, a tale of endurance and achievement, of one man's dedication in the face of ruin and homelessness. The world's coal and oil industry, its gold mining, its highway systems, and its railroad routes were all derived entirely from the creation of Smith's first map.; and with a keen eye and thoughtful detail, Simon Winchester unfolds the poignant sacrifice behind this world-changing discovery.

Textul de pe ultima copertă

In 1793, a canal digger named William Smith made a startling discovery. He found that by tracing the placement of fossils, which he uncovered in his excavations, one could follow layers of rocks as they dipped and rose and fell—clear across England and, indeed, clear across the world—making it possible, for the first time ever, to draw a chart of the hidden underside of the earth. Smith spent twenty-two years piecing together the fragments of this unseen universe to create an epochal and remarkably beautiful hand-painted map. But instead of receiving accolades and honors, he ended up in debtors' prison, the victim of plagiarism, and virtually homeless for ten years more.
The Map That Changed the World is a very human tale of endurance and achievement, of one man's dedication in the face of ruin. With a keen eye and thoughtful detail, Simon Winchester unfolds the poignant sacrifice behind this world-changing discovery.

Recenzii

"With descriptive contemporary visitations to places significant to the story and well-chosen historical detail, he makes immediate not only the magnitude and elegance of Smith's accomplishment, but also the thrill of each of the moments of genius necessary to reach his ultimate conclusion. Smith's life provides a terrific plot to frame his contribution to science. Winchester's wonderful account does credit to it." — Publishers Weekly (*Starred Review*)
"Winchester has once again captured the essence of persistence against odds resulting in achievement. His fascinating account will not disappoint." — Library Journal (starred review)
“Winchester brings Smith’s struggle to life in clear and beautiful language, the richness of which he continues to celebrate.” — New York Times Book Review
"Winchester has once again captured the essence of persistence against odds resulting in achievement." — Library Journal (starred review)
"Smith's life provides a terrific plot to frame his contribution to science. Winchester's wonderful account does credit to it." — Publishers Weekly (*Starred Review*)
“Winchester masterfully weaves a compelling history.” — Newsday
“Smith’s unsung life provides the perfect backdrop for yet another entertaining intellectual history.” — Denver Post
"A compelling human story" — Boston Sunday Herald
"Well-researched narrative" — BusinessWeek
“a marvellous book ” — The Independent (London)

Notă biografică

Simon Winchester is the acclaimed author of many books, including The Professor and the Madman, The Men Who United the States, The Map That Changed the World, The Man Who Loved China, A Crack in the Edge of the World, and Krakatoa, all of which were New York Times bestsellers and appeared on numerous best and notable lists. In 2006, Winchester was made an officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Her Majesty the Queen. He resides in western Massachusetts.

Descriere

Descriere de la o altă ediție sau format:
Hidden behind velvet curtains above a stairway in a house in London's Piccadilly is an enormous and beautiful hand-coloured map - the first geological map of anywhere in the world. Its maker was a farmer's son named William Smith. Born in 1769 his life was beset by troubles. This title tells his story.