Principles of Geology
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1830-1833
- Language
- English
- Length
- Epic · 1400 ppover 700 pages
- Difficulty
- Demanding3 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendPrinciples of GeologyPenguin Classics, 1997James Secord's abridgement of the first edition, with an introduction on Lyell's argument and its reception.
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Lyell's three-volume work argues that the earth's surface has been shaped over immense stretches of time by the same causes now in operation, rivers, volcanoes, earthquakes, erosion and deposition, acting at roughly their present intensity, and not by ancient catastrophes. The first volume reviews the history of geology and surveys present-day processes. The second treats the changes in living species and argues against Lamarck's transmutation. The third applies the method to the rock record and introduces the divisions of the Tertiary. Darwin took the first volume on the Beagle.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns Principles of Geology are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
