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