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