Book description
Perilous Planet Earth places our concern about the threat to Earth from asteroids and comets within an historical context, looking at the evidence for past events within the geological and historical records. The book looks at the way in which prevailing views about modes of global change have changed dramatically…
Why read it?
1 author picked Perilous Planet Earth as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Prof. Palmer combines his expertise in evolutionary theory with several other disciplines, including geology, history, and anthropology, to provide a detailed and authoritative yet thoroughly engaging history of the debate around catastrophism versus gradualism.
I found this book incredibly useful in placing the new science of coherent catastrophism in context. Ultimately, it shows again that geologists need to listen more to astronomers. I particularly appreciated the lesson in the history of science it provides as well as its balanced and scientific treatment of topics that some geologists decry as pseudoscience.
From Martin's list on The best books about coherent catastrophism.
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