Pursuing a Line of Thought

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Preface vii
3. Contributors ix
4. Contents xi
5. Acknowledgements xvii
6. Uniformitarian Meanders 1
7. 4004 BC 2
8. Brief Thoughts on Maps 3
9. Variable Strata 4
10. Biblical Uniformitarianism 5
11. Geological Literature 5
12. On the Prospects of Coal near Otakaia, Otago 6
13. The Discovery of the South Magnetic Pole 11
14. Geologists in Antarctica 19
15. Oceanography at Wisconsin 19
16. Sampling the Sea Floor in 1820 20
17. The Last Pterodactyl 24
18. Plain Geology 26
19. Pardon? 29
20. Rocks, Whistles and Last Trumps 30
21. The First Seismograph 30
22. The San Francisco Earthquake 31
23. Earthquake in Valdivia 32
24. Legal Slip 33
25. Einstein and Gutenberg 33
26. A Scientific Swindler 34
27. Alfred Wegener, Meteorologist (1870–1930) 42
28. Et Al. 45
29. On Brevity 45
30. Poppycock 46
31. Rock Bottom 46
32. Annual Mileage 47
33. Student Field Trip 48
34. Travelling Expenses 48
35. Victorian Geology 49
36. Life on the Ocean Wave 50
37. Geology in London 51
38. William Buckland 1784-1856) 51
39. Divining for Metals 54
40. Proof Spirit 57
41. Feasting 58
42. Fasting 59
43. Struthiomimus, or the Danger of Being Too Clever 59
44. Burnet and His Critics 61
45. Expert Advice 70
46. Compiling Maps 70
47. Joining-up 70
48. Theories of the Earth, 1828 71
49. Pursuing a Line of Thought 78
50. Petrifications 78
51. The Excursion 80
52. Respect for the Director General 81
53. Bureaucracy, 1885 81
54. Official Letters 82
55. Irish Debt 83
56. The Village and Its Amusements 84
57. Poor Smith 85
58. Odd Balls 86
59. Time and Tide 86
60. Old Magma 87
61. Magmafication 87
62. A Fossil Town 89
63. In Aquavitae, Veritas 91
64. On the Effects of Malt Whisky 91
65. Traits of My Early Childhood 91
66. Self-esteem 92
67. Transient Love 93
68. Haute Cuisine 94
69. Motivating Research 96
70. Marsh and Cope 97
71. A Visit to Dr Woodward 100
72. Cephalopods Cure Cramp in Cows 101
73. Ad Infinitum 102
74. Collecting in 1728 102
75. The Specimen Hunter 103
76. Self-possession 103
77. Mary Anning 103
78. Welsh Pronunciation: the Sedgwick Way 105
79. Plesiosaurus triatarsostinus 106
80. A New Approach 108
81. Plus Ça Change 110
82. Geology in 1969 110
83. The Piltdown Hoax 111
84. Sedgwick on The Origin of Species 113
85. Aping the Past 113
86. Letter to the Earth 114
87. Geology–the Hypothetical Science 115
88. A Geologist's Paradise 116
89. The Great Diamond Hoax 116
90. Mark Twain–Geologist 124
91. Theorists 130
92. Ami Boué 130
93. Dress and Equipment 100 Years Ago 132
94. Darwin and Sedgwick in the Field 134
95. Darwin on Lyell 135
96. Lyell as Statesman and Gourmand 136
97. Cabbage Rolls 140
98. Trace Elements in Food 141
99. Lab. Work 142
100. Chemists and Geologists 142
101. In Situ 143
102. Cuvier's Study 144
103. The Jolly Young Trilobite 145
104. Potted Geology 146
105. Science and Economists 147
106. In Memoriam 148
107. Field Trip–New Mexico 149
108. Moderation in All Things 152
109. Storm Warning 152
110. . . . But Names Can Never Hurt Me 153
111. Call a Spade a Spade 154
112. Linnaeus Simplified 154
113. Musty Dons 155
114. Rote Learning 157
115. Practical Demonstrations 158
116. Student Assessment 160
117. Rara Avis 161
118. The Giant's Causeway 161
119. Triangular Diagrams 162
120. ‘Frisky Hall’ 162
121. Experimental Folding 163
122. The Pick and Hammer Club 164
123. Russian Efficiency 166
124. Stone Juice 168
125. Acknowledgement 168
126. Geological Poachers 169
127. Pretty Stones 170
128. Magnetic Attraction 172
129. E. B. Bailey (1881-1965) 172
130. Ruskin on Rocks 173
131. The Death of Pliny the Elder 174
132. Vesuvius 176
133. Volcanic Moulds 179
134. Fecal Petrofabrics 180
135. Suggestions re Field Work, etc. 181
136. AWOL 183
137. Powell in the Grand Canyon 184
138. The Min. Mag. 190
139. The Cosmic Achoo! 191
140. Index 193