Wonderful Life

The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History

By: Stephen Jay Gould

Narrated by: Jonathan Sleep

Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

"[An] extraordinary book . . . Mr. Gould is an exceptional combination of scientist and science writer . . . He is thus exceptionally well placed to tell these stories, and he tells them with fervor and intelligence."-James Gleick, New York Times Book Review

High in the Canadian Rockies is a small limestone quarry formed 530 million years ago called the Burgess Shale. It holds the remains of an ancient sea where dozens of strange creatures lived—a forgotten corner of evolution preserved in awesome detail. In this book, Stephen Jay Gould explores what the Burgess Shale tells us about evolution and the nature of history.

©1989 Stephen Jay Gould (P)2023 Tantor

Science made interesting

Work of a paleontologist, rites of passage, terminology, concepts, theories. Narrator did a great job of making this a wonderful listen. However, next listen I'll have a text at my side to help with nomenclature and names.
I plan to listen to this a couple more times. He's a magnificent writer. Narrator, please consider recording this geologic writing: Tertiary Geology of the Grand Canyon District by Clarence E. Dutton.

I listened to the first hour

I don’t know whether Mr. Gould’s book does much for the body of literature focused on the Burgiss. He did a good job of explaining why he thinks I should care about his interpretation during that first hour.

I’ll go elsewhere for Burgiss Shale information with the understanding that Mr. Gould may be on to something. I rest assured that if he is, someone else will tell me and I won’t have to bear the remaining eight hours of his book.