'The Map that Changed the World' by Simon Winchester
[Cross-posting latest book summary I put out on LinkedIn.]
It's impossible not to learn a lot from a Simon Winchester book, not all of it directly specific to his topic to be sure but always shared in an entertaining style. However, I struggled getting through The Map that Changed the World (http://amzn.com/0060193611) which fundamentally covers the life of William Smith, known as the 'Father of English Geology' due to his insights on using fossil variations to stratify rock layers and the detailed geologic maps he developed from his field research across the country. Even at 300 pages, the book seemed long for its subject - though I'm not trying to diminish Smith's contributions and importance - and was repetitive at times. Also, I found it difficult to follow Smith's life history as the author jumped around a bit in his chronology. While the hardbound version of the book I have attempted to add value by including some color inserts of Smith's maps, they were too small to be really be appreciated. The glossary was helpful though.
I would recommend The Professor and the Madman (http://amzn.com/0060175966) and Krakatoa (http://amzn.com/0670911267) as more compelling books by Winchester.
