Excerpt: Prologue
Excerpts from published reviews
The Grand Canyon’s beauty, grandeur, and striking form have made it one of the greatest tourist attractions in the U.S., and also one of the greatest intellectual challenges to geologists. James Powell’s exciting account of the Canyon’s development is worthy of the excitement that the canyon itself inspires.
Jared Diamond, author of Guns, Germs,
and Steel
"John Wesley Powell, the pioneer explorer of the Grand
Canyon, believed that science could reveal a deeper
history of America, one that we should know for our own
survival. As this excellent book shows, that prophecy has
come true: modern science indeed has revealed just how
fragile our civilization is—as vulnerable as the rocks
that water has relentlessly washed away in the Canyon. A
clear, dramatic, and humbling story of continental
discovery."
Donald Worster: Rivers of Empire &
A River Running West
Grand Canyon reads like a detective novel, as Powell
traces the work of the generations of geologists trying
to understand our most majestic landscape. In the
process, his fascinating book reveals not just how the
Grand Canyon has taken shape, but our planet as a whole.
Carl Zimmer, author of Evolution: the
Triumph of An Idea
As important to the professional
scientist as it is to those who simply are bewitched by
the Grand Canyon. An expertly woven tale of scientific
intrigue.
Richard A. Young, Dept. of Geological
Sciences, SUNY College
An honest and open description of
geological detective work and the rethinking of ideas. At
a time when the National Park Service sells a book
describing a creationist explanation of the Grand
Canyon’s formation little different than the ideas from
which modern geology emerged more than 150 years ago, the
book reminds us of the timeless contrast between the
methods of modern natural science and the power of myth.
Science Magazine
Powell’s well-crafted account makes one
appreciate just how [the Grand Canyon] came to be so
grand.
Natural History Magazine
An engaging and lucid account of one of
geology’s greatest monuments. The story of how the
Colorado River cut the Grand Canyon turns out to be a
remarkable detective story, complete with red herrings
and innocent suspects. The tale of the Grand Canyon
encapsulates features of the growth in our knowledge over
the whole of the earth sciences.
Richard Fortey, author of Trilobite!
and Earth
Grand Canyon weaves together the
observations, themes, and men that shaped our
understanding of this spectacular natural wonder. The
book puts John Wesley Powell’s feats of exploration into
the context of how we have gained an overall
understanding of the origin of not just the Grand Canyon,
but of river valleys in general. It does all of this with
a flare that will inform and entertain anyone curious
about how the Earth’s surface has been shaped.
Charles G. Groat, Director, U.S.
Geological Survey