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The Map That Changed the World: The Tale of William Smith and the Birth of a Science by Simon Winchester (Hardcover, 2001)

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item 1 The map that changed the world: the tale of William Smith and the birth of a
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In the summer of 1815 an extraordinary hand-painted map was published in London. Some eight feet tall and six feet wide, brightly coloured - in sea-blue, green, bright yellow, orange, umber - it presented England and Wales in a beguiling and unfamiliar mixture of lines and patches and stippled shapes. It was the product of one man's obsession with rocks, a passion that sustained him whilst the rest of his life slid into ruin. For nearly 20 years, an Oxfordshire blacksmith's son named William Smith journeyed across Britain investigating and naming the layers of rock beneath his feet. Self-taught and determined, Smith had great expertise in practical geology, and this evolving science demanded a new sort of delineation. The beautifully executed map he produced was the first of its kind and transformed the way in which the world was understood. It was a document that laid the groundwork for the making of great fortunes in oil, iron and tin, and, elsewhere, in diamonds, platinum and silver, and was key to the development of one of the great fields of modern science. Smith's was a remarkable achievement, and all the more astonishing for having been completed single-handedly and without financial or professional support. Shatteringly, such heroic and painstaking work exacted a terrible price: imprisoned for debt, Smith was turned out of his home; his work was plagiarized; the scientific establishment turned its back on his trouble; and Smith's wife was diagnozed insane and he himself fell ill. It was not until 1829 that, in a fairy-tale twist of fate, Smith returned to London in triumph, to be hailed as a genius. Simon Winchester, best-selling author of The Surgeon of Crowthorne and himself the holder of a degree in geology, enters the dramatic world of Strata Smith to tell his moving and inspiring story. Celebrating the unique geology of the British Isles, The Map That Changed the World resurrects the forgotten pioneer whose passion for fossils came above all else.

Product Identifiers

Publisher
Penguin Books LTD
ISBN-13
9780670884070
eBay Product ID (ePID)
88648814

Product Key Features

Book Title
The Map That Changed the World: the Tale of William Smith and the Birth of a Science
Author
Simon Winchester
Format
Hardcover
Language
English
Topic
Geography & Geosciences, Natural History, History
Publication Year
2001
Type
Textbook
Genre
Biographies & True Stories
Number of Pages
352 Pages

Dimensions

Item Height
224mm
Item Width
145mm
Item Weight
546g

Additional Product Features

Title_Author
Simon Winchester
Country/Region of Manufacture
United Kingdom

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4 out of 5 stars
by colhamx22 May, 2023
A stimulating biography of a most remarkable founder of geology
Not just a biography of one of the earliest geologists who faced adversity through his stupendous task of preparing the first geological map, but an insight into the society and its prejudices of early 19th century London. Only disappointment is that the reproduction of the map had to be so small.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
5 out of 5 stars
by cricket731309 Mar, 2022
An excellent read
A very interesting book that rightly acknowledges an outstanding and brilliant cartographer.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
5 out of 5 stars
by nly575f03 Oct, 2018
The Map that changed the world
Excellent book needed to educate the guests to our house what is under their feet.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
5 out of 5 stars
by smj12ew18 Sep, 2019
If you are interested in the beginnings of geological maps this is for you!
Great book. Thoroughly recommended.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned

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The Map That Changed the World: The Tale of William Smith and the Birth of a Science by Simon Winchester (Hardcover, 2001)

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About this product

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Product Identifiers

Product Key Features

Dimensions

Additional Product Features

Ratings and reviews

Most relevant reviews

A stimulating biography of a most remarkable founder of geology

An excellent read

The Map that changed the world

If you are interested in the beginnings of geological maps this is for you!

Best-selling in Books

Save on Books

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