The Map That Changed the World

A Tale of Rocks, Ruin and Redemption

Simon Winchester author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Penguin Books Ltd

Published:4th Jul '02

£10.99

Available for immediate dispatch.

The Map That Changed the World cover

THE EXTRAORDINARY TALE OF THE FATHER OF MODERN GEOLOGY

Hidden behind velvet curtains above a stairway in a house in London's Piccadilly is an enormous and beautiful hand-coloured map - the first geological map of anywhere in the world. Its maker was a farmer's son named William Smith. Born in 1769 his life was troubled: he was imprisoned for debt, turned out of his home, his work was plagiarised, his wife went insane and the scientific establishment shunned him.

It was not until 1829, when a Yorkshire aristocrat recognised his genius, that he was returned to London in triumph: The Map That Changed the World is his story.

'For a geologist, this is a must read' Amazon Reviewer

'It serves to lift a genius from academic semi-obscurity and to award him the acknowledgement he undoubtedly deserves' Amazon Reviewer


'Never realised how seminal this map was' Amazon Reviewer

ISBN: 9780140280395

Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 21mm

Weight: 245g

352 pages