Geology is a science of such rapid growth that no apology is expected when from time to time a new text-book is added to those already in the field. The present work, however, is the outcome of the need of a text-book of very simple outline, in which causes and their consequences should be knit together as closely as possible,—a need long felt by the author in his teaching, and perhaps by other teachers also. The author has ventured, therefore, to depart from the common usage which subdivides geology into a number of departments,—dynamical, structural, physiographic, and historical,—and to treat in immediate connection with each geological process the land forms and the rock structures which it has produced. (from book preface)
30 episodes
Did you ever wish you knew how to explain natural phenomena such as earthquakes and volcanoes to your children? Search no more, this book has all the answers (at least all the ones that were known in 1869) and gives them in a pedagogical way. Listed on the Ambleside homeschooling list. (Summary by Nadine)
16 episodes
National Geographic Magazine Volume 1 Number 1 published in 1889. Topics of articles are:
Announcement by the National Geographic Society
Introductory Address by the President
Geographic Methods in Geologic Investigation
Classification of Geographic Forms by Genesis
The Great Storm of March 11 to 14, 1888
The Great Storm off the Atlantic Coast of the United States, March 11th to 14th, 1888
The Survey of the Coast
The Survey and Map of Massachusetts
(Summary by Guero)
10 episodes
National Geographic Magazine Volume 1 Number 3 published in 1889. Topics of articles are:
The Rivers and Valleys of Pennsylvania
Topographic Models
International Literary Contest
(Summary by Guero)
10 episodes
"The Royal Society is a Fellowship of many of the world's most eminent scientists and is the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence." (from its Mission Statement). As scientists have explored the world around them, observed and tried to explain natural phenomena, they have been invited to present papers to the Royal Society. Edmond Halley (of Halley's Comet fame) was an eminent member of the society and gathered together some of the most interesting papers of his day. Today, we may see errors in the logic or calculations, based on current knowledge, but these papers are unedited and as presented at the time and show how scientific knowledge was expanding in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Summary by Lynne Thompson
30 episodes
Principles of Geology: being an attempt to explain the former changes of the Earth's surface, by reference to causes now in operation is a book by the Scottish geologist Charles Lyell, first published in 3 volumes in 1830–1833.
Lyell used geology throughout as a basis to strengthen his argument for Uniformitarianism. He used geological proof to determine that the Earth was older than 6,000 years, as had been previously contested. The book shows that the processes that are occurring in the present are the same processes that occurred in the past.
107 episodes
This little book, first published in 1948, is part of the Chicago Natural History Popular History series that explains difficult subjects in ways and terms we all can understand. It was published at a time in Anthropology when exciting things like carbon dating were first being used and refined. "Prehistory means the time before written history began. Actually, more than 99 per cent of man’s story is prehistory. Man is at least half a million years old, but he did not begin to write history (or to write anything) until about 5,000 years ago. The men who lived in prehistoric times left us no history books, but they did unintentionally leave a record of their presence and their way of life. This record is studied and interpreted by different kinds of scientists." - Summary by the author and phil chenevert
11 episodes
Written by a forester, this book aims to educate people on the importance of maintaining forests and those events which pose a danger to forests. It looks at forests from multiple points of view, the public, lumbermen, and the farmer. Given the author's association with the forestry department in the Pacific Northwest, the book focuses primarily on that region; however, the information provided is universal with regards to forestry. - Summary by KHand
10 episodes
Written by a forester, this book looks at the definition of "forest", what the life of a forester entails, discusses the forest service both on the state and national levels, and the training required to be a forester. As a forester himself, and the chief of the US Forest Service, Pinchot was a foremost expert in this topic,and, based on his preface to the work, seems to expect this work to either encourage or dissuade young people from a life in forestry. - Summary by KHand
16 episodes
Published in 1665, this is the first publication of the Royal Society and considered to be the first scientific best-seller. As opposed to the Latin of other publications of the time like Newton's 'Principia Mathematica', it was written in English to make it accessible to all. Robert Hooke uses the then fairly new microscope to cover many different subjects including insects, plants, organic material, and even the stars and moon, all fully illustrated by Hooke in detailed hand-drawn diagrams.
The many illustrations which are frequently referenced can be found here (Summary by Jordan)
66 episodes
As all but Martians know (and who knows, perhaps even they), the city of San Francisco, California, was destroyed by massive earthquake and unquenchable fire in April, 1906. Will Irwin was a sometime San Franciscan who was then living in New York. He wrote a piece for the newspaper The Sun on April 21st, remembering and describing he city that was no more. He called it The City That Was. Four years later he returned to San Francisco and, amazed at the rebuilding, wrote a second piece for The San Francisco Call which he entitled The City That Is. The first endeavor became famous and was frequently reprinted; it made the reputation of Irwin as a reporter. - Summary by David Wales
3 episodes
This is a collection of short scientific articles on the study of volcanoes and related seismic activity published in Knowledge, A Monthly Record of Science between 1884-1917 - Summary by J. M. Smallheer
23 episodes
This is an immensely readable book explaining anything to do with air - the atmosphere, wind and clouds, and life. This 1896 explanation has since been overtaken by more specific scientific discoveries, but the general concepts certainly still hold true until today. Any beginner interested in meteorology will find this book a great place to start. - Summary by Carolin
37 episodes
This book is not a technical treatise and is designed only to point out the plain, every-day facts in the natural scheme of making and keeping soils productive. It is concerned with the crops, methods, and fertilizers that favor the soil. The viewpoint, all the time, is that of the practical man who wants cash compensation for the intelligent care he gives to his land...Experiment stations and practical farmers have developed a dependable science within recent years, and there is no jarring of observed facts when we get hold of the simple philosophy of it all. Summary from the Introduction
23 episodes
Charles Sternberg was an American fossil collector and paleontologist. He was active in both fields from 1876 to 1928, and collected fossils for private collectors as well as for international museums. This book is part travelogue, part paleontology, and part historical narrative of life on the open prairie. In it, Sternberg tells of his early interest in fossil hunting as a boy, and scientific expeditions from his first in 1876 to one for the Munich Museum in 1901. - Summary by Ava
14 episodes
