Scientific Papers

by Charles Lyell

Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only

Written
1830-1833, selected 1910
Language
English
Length
Short · 90 ppunder 120 pages
Difficulty
Demanding3 of 5 for a first-year reader

We recommendThe Harvard Classics, Volume 38, Scientific PapersP. F. Collier and Son, 1910The volume in which these selections appear, alongside Harvey, Jenner, Lister, Pasteur and Helmholtz.

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The extracts from Lyell's Principles of Geology printed in volume 38 of the Harvard Classics, chiefly from the opening chapters. They survey the progress of geology from the Greeks through the theories of Hutton and Werner, then set out Lyell's central principle that the causes now acting on the earth's surface, given enough time, account for all its past changes. They are the most compact statement of the uniformitarian method in Lyell's own words and are meant to be read as an introduction to the whole work.

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The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns Scientific Papers are verified against each program's published list.

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Selections from Principles of Geology, Lyell in the Harvard Classics, uniformitarianism, history of geology, Hutton, Werner, deep time, Harvard Classics, geology, Sir Charles Lyell