"Rocky" Reads - a recommended reading list for Geology
students
Extra reading is good for you! Not only for improved understanding of a wide range of geological issues
but also to put into your UCAS application and give you something to talk about in any interview you
might subsequently have. Below is a list (in stratigraphic order!) of recommeded books. Enjoy.....
Understanding Geology
By David Webster (1987)
An extremely good introductory geology book. It is
written very clearly, with lots of excellent diagrams,
and covers most of the content needed on the GL1
and GL2 part of the AS Geology course. Use it and
read it to make your notes! Lots of copies in the
library.
Geological Science
By Andrew McLeish (2001)
Another good introductory geology book, but slightly
more detailed than Understanding Geology. It is
written clearly and covers most of the content needd
on the GL1 and GL2 part of the AS Geology course.
Use it and read it to make your notes! Lots of copies
in the library.
Krakatoa
By Simon Winchester (2003)
The 1883 eruption of a remote island in SE Asia was
far-reaching and not just in a geographical sense. It
planted the word Krakatoa firmly in modern
vocabularly. This is the very detailed account based
on the dramatic eyewitness reports and the limited
records of the most violent explosion ever recorded
and experienced by modern man.
Snowball Earth
By Gabrielle Walker (2003)
The story of one man's theory that the Earth
underwent a "super ice-age" 600 million years ago
that completely froze the planet from pole to pole.
Told like a detective story, the evidence is clearly
presented in this readable account that illustrates
the passions of personalities involved and the
development of this remarkable theory. Best read
on a hot day!
A Short History of Nearly
Everything
By Bill Bryson (2003)
A zany attempt to understand everything in natural
science from the Big Bang to now! This is a popular
science book that will make you smile with
amazement.
A Guide to the End of the
World
By Bill McGuire (2002)
We are doomed! One thing is for certain - one day
our familiar world will end. It's just a matter of when
and how ...." Global warming, global cooling, supereruptions, giant earthqaukes, mega-tsunamis and
asteroid impascts from space. Which will get us
first? A small book with a title that lives up to
expectation.
The Map that Changed the
World
By Simon Winchester (2002)
This is the tale of William Smith and the birth of a
new science. Smith is often quoted as the "Father of
Geology". He basically invented the geological map
and set out to map the entire country on his own!
His life was far from easy and this book puts his
mapping feat into context.
Surviving the Volcano
By Stanley Williams (2001)
This story highlights the dangers experienced by
those scientists who risk their own lives to
understand volcanoes and help save others. Most
volcanologists are young and this true story explains
why. Told by one of the few who survived the 1993
eruption of the Colombian volcano, Galeras, about
those who did not. An explosive read!
Trilobite
By Richard Fortey (2001)
A superb guide to this popular but extinct group of
arthropods. Their anatomy, physiology, habitats and
habits are explained interspersed with amusing
anecdotes. Students have been known to have gone
to do geology at university on the strength of this
book. Richard Fortey's enthusiasm is infectious!
Volcanoes
By David Rotheray (2001)
Volcanoes are spectacular and can have devastating
effects. As well as the obvious death and destruction
surrounding an erupting volcano, the largest
eruptions can change the world's climate. This
practical, comprehensive guide is one of the best
there is on volcanoes and is highly recommended to
teach about the mysteries behind volcanic eruptions.
Dinosaur Hunters
By Deborah Cadbury (2000)
This is the extraordinary, true-life story of the bitter
rivalry between two 19th century palaeontologists,
Gideon Mantle and Richard Owen, who discovered
the prehistoric world of reptiles through fossils. Both
were driven by the fame and power that come from
scinetific discovery and to them we owe the legacy
of the Dinosaurs.
The Floating Egg
By Roger Osbourne (1999)
An intriguing compendium of 25 loosely linked
stories based on Yorkshire and the Northeast of
England which have contributed to the development
of geological science. The characters, fictional or
otherwise are brought to life by real or imagined
settings and supported by historical and scientific
records.