Synopses & Reviews
"Provocative and delightfully discursive essays on natural history. . . . Gould is the Stan Musial of essay writing. He can work himself into a corkscrew of ideas and improbable allusions paragraph after paragraph and then, uncoiling, hit it with such power that his fans know they are experiencing the game of essay writing at its best."--John Noble Wilford,
Review
"No living scientist who writes for the public has a better claim to the mantle of Thomas Huxley in range of interests and felicity of style. . . . is the fifth and finest selection." David Fromkin
Review
National BestsellerDozens of choice essays. . . . Teaching and its decline . . . and other signs of the decrepitude of the culture balanced by the cheer and zeal with which Gould extols advances in science. . . . Bully for Brontosaurusand bully for Gould too.May be Gould's finest to date. . . . Whether his topic is typewriter design, thetechnical triumph of Voyageror Joe DiMaggio's hitting streak, Gould holds our attention. His essays are illuminating, instructive, and fun to read.No living scientist who writes for the public has a better claim to the mantle of Thomas Huxley in range of interests and felicity of style. . . . Bully for Brontosaurusis the fifth and finest selection. -- David Fromkin
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"Dozens of choice essays. . . . Teaching and its decline . . . and other signs of the decrepitude of the culture balanced by the cheer and zeal with which Gould extols advances in science. . . . and bully for Gould too." Kirkus Reviews
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"May be Gould's finest to date. . . . Whether his topic is typewriter design, thetechnical triumph of or Joe DiMaggio's hitting streak, Gould holds our attention. His essays are illuminating, instructive, and fun to read." Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Stephen Jay Gould (1941-2002) was the Alexander Agassiz Professor of Zoology and Professor of Geology at Harvard University. He published over twenty books, received the National Book and National Book Critics Circle Awards, and a MacArthur Fellowship.