cover image Stepping Stones: The Making of Our Home World

Stepping Stones: The Making of Our Home World

Stephen Drury, S. A. Drury. Oxford University Press, $37 (409pp) ISBN 978-0-19-850271-5

Reaching across the five-billion year history of Earth and across the disciplines of geology, chemistry, physics, anthropology and biology, this professor of earth sciences at the Open University in London presents an erudite synopsis of the history of our blue planet. By addressing huge (the evolution of stars) as well as microscopic (the origin of bacteria) phenomena, he ably demonstrates that the same physical laws apply to the development of both. Longstanding disputes over theories such as continental drift are presented with flair. Drury also weighs in on quite a few contemporary controversies, including the cause of the planet's periodic mass extinctions, the nature of the relationship between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens and the reason for the extinction of the former, and the origin and spread of early humans. Although he barely touches on our current environmental situation, he provides a great deal of pertinent background material when he discusses the patterns and causes of natural climatic change on the planet. Drury has a knack for breaking down complicated theories and presenting them in digestible pieces only occasionally toughened by technical language. His prose is scholarly, but infused with a friendliness that marks him as an exceptional teacher and makes his book a fine contribution to the field. 12 halftones, 103 line drawings. (Aug.)