In Suspect Terrain
From Annals of the Former World: Book #2
- By: John McPhee
- Narrated by: Nelson Runger
- Length: 6 hours 40 minutes
Description
John McPhee's Pulitzer Prize-winning Annals of the Former World takes readers on mind-expanding adventures in geology. In the first book, Basin and Range, McPhee traveled to Nevada with a proponent of plate techtonics. Now, an engaging sceptic working for the United States Geological Survey is his guide to some of eastern America's most fascinating geologic formations. Respected geologist Anita Harris doesn't completely accept the reigning gospel of plate tectonics. Rather than limiting herself to one theory, the Brooklyn native insists on letting the rocks tell their own stories. Pickaxe and hydrochloric acid in hand, Harris guides McPhee to terrain that speaks of sudden, cataclysmic events and the spectacular, relatively recent, movement of glaciers. Author John McPhee is celebrated for his elegant style and skill in making specialized material accessible. When the narrative talents of Nelson Runger are added, you will discover that the intricacies of geology become not only understandable, but most entertaining.
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From Annals of the Former World Series

Basin and Range
By: John McPhee
Narrated by: Nelson Runger
Length: 7 hours 7 minutes
Abridged: No
To geologists, rocks are beautiful, roadcuts are windowpanes, and the earth is alive-a work in progress. The cataclysmic movement that gives birth to mountains and oceans is ongoing and can still be seen at certain places on our planet. One of these is the Basin and Range region centered in Nevada and Utah. In this first book of a Pulitzer... Read more »
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In Suspect Terrain
By: John McPhee
Narrated by: Nelson Runger
Length: 6 hours 40 minutes
Abridged: No
John McPhee's Pulitzer Prize-winning Annals of the Former World takes readers on mind-expanding adventures in geology. In the first book, Basin and Range, McPhee traveled to Nevada with a proponent of plate techtonics. Now, an engaging sceptic working for the United States Geological Survey is his guide to some of eastern America's most... Read more »
Learn more
Rising from the Plains
By: John McPhee
Narrated by: Nelson Runger
Length: 7 hours 28 minutes
Abridged: No
Annals of the Former World is the result of a 20-year journey. During that time, John McPhee, author of 25 books and noted writer for The New Yorker, crisscrossed the United States, roughly following the 40th parallel. The geological insights and wonderful descriptions McPhee packed into his accounts of these trips earned his remarkable book a... Read more »
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Assembling California
By: John McPhee
Narrated by: Nelson Runger
Length: 9 hours 50 minutes
Abridged: No
Thirty years ago, the theory that continents are comprised of drifting plates-plate tectonics-evoked more scorn than serious research. Today, this revolutionary theory continues to dazzle and challenge geologists and laymen alike. Assembling California explores an area uniquely demonstrative of the plate tectonic theory: California, which... Read more »
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Crossing the Craton
By: John McPhee
Narrated by: Nelson Runger
Length: 1 hour 47 minutes
Abridged: No
With his Pulitzer Prize-winning Annals of the Former World, John McPhee explores not only the richly varied surface of the United States, but the geological wonders hidden deep beneath our feet. In this final book of the series, he embarks on a fascinating journey across the basement of the continent-the land masses forming Illinois, Iowa,... Read more »
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