• Basin and Range

  • Annals of the Former World, Book 1
  • By: John McPhee
  • Narrated by: Nelson Runger
  • Length: 7 hrs and 6 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (509 ratings)

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Basin and Range  By  cover art

Basin and Range

By: John McPhee
Narrated by: Nelson Runger
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Publisher's summary

To geologists, rocks are beautiful, roadcuts are windowpanes, and the earth is alive, a work in progress. The cataclysmic movement that gives birth to mountains and oceans is ongoing and can still be seen at certain places on our planet. One of these is the Basin and Range region centered in Nevada and Utah.

In this first book of a Pulitzer Prize-winning collection, the author crosses the spectacular Basin and Range with geology professor Kenneth Deffeyes in tow. McPhee draws on Deffeyes' expertise to dazzle you with the vast perspective of geologic time and the fascinating history of vanished landscapes. The effect is guaranteed to expand your mind.

McPhee's enthusiasm is infectious, as he provides one of the best introductions to plate tectonics and the New Geology. His elegant style is more pleasing than ever with narrator Nelson Runger's smooth, enthusiastic delivery. Runger mines the book's rich veins of poetic prose and subtle humor, and the result is pure gold.

Listen to more books in the Annals of the Former World collection.
©1980, 1981 John McPhee (P)1999 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"A fascinating book." (The New York Times Book Review)
"He triumphs by succinct prose, by his uncanny ability to capture the essence of a complex issue, or an arcane trade secret, in a well-turned phrase." (New York Review of Books)

What listeners say about Basin and Range

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Wow.

McPhee is an amazing writer. I love geology, but he makes it positively lush and compelling to listen to. I am so glad Audible added this to their collection. Thanks!!

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38 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Top notch

McPhee does an excellent job of introducing geology. However, despite his excellent prose, pictures and maps would add to the experience.

Worst thing is Nelson Runger's narration--while his avuncular style is well suited to McPhee's prose, the microphone picks up all of his lip-smacking noises. Once I became attuned to this, I couldn't get it out of my mind--he sounded like a dog eating peanut butter. Please, filter this out on your next book.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Classic, finally all FIVE parts now available

What made the experience of listening to Basin and Range the most enjoyable?
The wealth of Geological information interwoven with the stories of the Geologists who explain, through McPhee, the complex but fascinating Geological history of America from coast to coast on Interstate 80. But be aware that "Assembling California" is not listed with the other 4 books of the canon. Be sure to get all five. The sequence I would suggest logically follow the trek across the USA from coast to coast ie books1 through 5 in order. Some have suggested a different sequence, but all stand alone very well. This series of 5 Audio books should be in every library of those who admire and enjoy superb non-fiction writing or geology. These are suberbly performed by Nelson Runger. If much of your listening is done while driving, this audio book series will transport you to "The Former World" as you travel.
Ronald E. Bowers, MD

What other book might you compare Basin and Range to and why?
the other 4 books of "Annals of the Former World"

What about Nelson Runger’s performance did you like?
Tone and delivery matched the style of the book(s). Not pedantic.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
yes, and re-listen!

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Bad writing, worse reading

I fell in love with geology all over again reading the books of Simon Winchester, and thought I would expand into other authors. This was my first try at something I thought would be a little more scientific - boy, was I wrong. The book was the most painfully dull audio book I have ever listened to. The author seems to be relating a number of personal anecdotes, kind of a series of travelogues. While he does introduce some interesting characters in the world of geology, he gives relatively little information on geology. He does sometimes give a few factual details, but then fails to summarize the major principles, leaving the few facts he gives without context, and therefore without much meaning for the listener.

I tried to excuse his bad writing, thinking he was a scientist who didn't know how to communicate. Then I found out he was actually an English teacher crossing over into science. Amazing. The writing was so poor, it seemed to be from someone taking a freshman creative writing class, heavily laden with badly-written, overblown descriptive passages that left me groaning.

The narrator was so bad, I had assumed it was the author, and they had been stuck with him. I was surprised to find this man is apparently a professional reader. His voice is high and irritating, his delivery over-dramatic and completely inappropriate to the text.... I could go on, but suffice it to say, I found it a frustrating experience trying to get through this book.

If you have a basic knowledge of geology and want to learn more (I had one year of it in college way back when), this book won't give it to you. I'm going back to Winchester.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Slow

It'd be great if the Annals of the Former World audiobooks were compiled into one collection, like the books now are. Additionally, this is an old, out of date edition of the book. It was tricky for me to follow along with the text because passages have been added and subtracted since this audiobook was produced.
I listened to this on 1.5 speed because the narrator was so slow. It sounded like regular speech after I sped him up.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • EB
  • 05-03-10

Unfortunate choice of narrator

The narrator's voice is slow and rather painful to listen to. I gave up after only 5 minutes. Strongly recommend listening to the _entire_ preview before purchasing, to make sure you don't find the narration equally painful.

Very disappointing, as I loved the book.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Most soporific narrator EVER!

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

As much as I love geology it was very hard listening to this guy read. He has all the fire of a poorly educated Baptist preacher who wonders why everyone snores during his ash dry sermons. This was a great mistake to buy when the book itself would have been much more satisfying.

What other book might you compare Basin and Range to and why?

The Old Testament
God kills everyone in the end.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

He was so monotone and lifeless like an automaton that the book became increasingly tedious.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The content was great, the performance was absolutely terrible.

Any additional comments?

There should be a warning about operating heavy machinery or driving while listening to this book...

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Entertaining journey through time

Weaves literary genius with scientific discovery to create an enthralling tapestry of the earth and our small place in it.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

40 minutes of listening pain

I love to study geology and I love good writing (printed or recorded). I gave up on this effort after 40 painful listening minutes. I, too, was an English major but I still value my "little book".

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Tough going, but good

Would you try another book from John McPhee and/or Nelson Runger?

Yes. John McPhee does his best to make a very dry and complicated subject palatable to the general reader. This is one of Nelson Runger's better books. I know that some folks aren't fans of his, but outside of a few readings, he never really bothered me.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Outside of the Narrator (McPhee) probably the guy who was able to procure the aggregate silver from abandoned mines in Nevada.

What three words best describe Nelson Runger’s performance?

Accessible. Journalistic. Engaged.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

This would probably be better as a PBS Special

Any additional comments?

It is a tough listen, I'm not going to lie. But you do learn something. My experience was enhanced by listening to it while driving to Las Vegas and being in the geological region where the book was based. It was also neat to pass by road cuts in the highway and discover how geologists use them for research. But I can see how past reviewers would want maps while listening to this.

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2 people found this helpful