Annals of the Former World

Summary

A collected geological epic in which McPhee travels Interstate 80 with field geologists, reading the continent's deep history off roadcuts and outcrops along the 40th parallel. Across four previously published volumes plus a new section on the craton, he renders plate tectonics, orogeny, and "deep time" in human-scaled prose anchored by the personalities of his guides. The work is widely considered the high-water mark of American science writing.