The Map That Changed the World

William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology

By: Simon Winchester

Narrated by: Simon Winchester

From the author of the best-selling The Professor and the Madman comes the fascinating story of William Smith, the orphaned son of an English country blacksmith, who became obsessed with creating the world's first geological map and ultimately became the father of modern geology.

In 1793 William Smith, a canal digger, made a startling discovery that was to turn the fledgling science of the history of the earth - and a central plank of established Christian religion - on its head. He noticed that the rocks he was excavating were arranged in layers; more important, he could see quite clearly that the fossils found in one layer were very different from those found in another. And out of that realization came an epiphany: that by following the fossils, one could trace layers of rocks as they dipped and rose and fell - clear across England and, indeed, clear across the world. Determined to publish his profoundly important discovery by creating a map that would display the hidden underside of England, he spent 20 years traveling the length and breadth of the kingdom by stagecoach and on foot, studying rock outcrops and fossils, piecing together the image of this unseen universe.

In 1815 he published his epochal and remarkably beautiful hand-painted map, more than eight feet tall and six feet wide. But four years after its triumphant publication, and with his young wife going steadily mad to the point of nymphomania, Smith ended up in debtors' prison, a victim of plagiarism, swindled out of his recognition and his profits. He left London for the north of England and remained homeless for 10 long years as he searched for work. It wasn't until 1831, when his employer, a sympathetic nobleman, brought him into contact with the Geological Society of London - which had earlier denied him a fellowship - that at last this quiet genius was showered with the honors long overdue him. He was summoned south to receive the society's highest award, and King William IV offered him a lifetime pension.

The Map That Changed the World is, at its foundation, a very human tale of endurance and achievement, of one man's dedication in the face of ruin and homelessness. The world's coal and oil industry, its gold mining, its highway systems, and its railroad routes were all derived entirely from the creation of Smith's first map; and with a keen eye and thoughtful detail, Simon Winchester unfolds the poignant sacrifice behind this world-changing discovery.

©2001 Simon Winchester (P)2003 HarperCollinsPublishers, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Winchester is a fine stylist who also has a fine, clear reading voice. He fully engages listeners, not only with the excitement of Smith's life and work, but even with geological explications that would have been pretty dull in science class." (Publishers Weekly)
"It's an authoritative delivery and an enjoyable experience." (AudioFile)
"This is just the kind of creative nonfiction that elevates a seemingly arcane topic into popular fare." (Booklist)
"Winchester brings Smith's struggle to life in clear and beautiful language." (The New York Times Book Review)

very, very dry in that English way.

still fascinating but I can see a lot of people having issues with the delivery.

jumps around but interesting

What made the experience of listening to The Map That Changed the World the most enjoyable?

Down to earth real life story about a human being including their highest and lowest points. It does sit the reader down in a real life story easy to relate to.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Map That Changed the World?

Hearing about a mans struggle to be accepted

What three words best describe Simon Winchester’s performance?

Dreadful monotone monotonous

Any additional comments?

I've now listened to 2 books orated by this author and for me, even though the writing is good, the oration is so monotonous that this will be my last purchase of this orator and that is a shame. Good author does not make a good author. And, the book skips around in time a lot. Still, even though I won't buy another by this orator, I don't regret the purchase.

Geology made interesting

This was actually a biography of William Smith and a very interesting story. I've had difficulty getting through some other geology books, but wanting to fill a gap in my education, I tried this one. It was a winner. Besides geology, it contained a lot of interesting British History and showed the dark side of human behavior. I will probably have to Google stratigraphy to better learn the names of the rock layers, but the book was motivating and enjoyable wheather or not you are into rocks.

Important history

If you could sum up The Map That Changed the World in three words, what would they be?

observation, comprehension, re/evolution (cheating a little on that last "word")

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The awareness that the earth was much older and dynamic than previously supposed is the crux, and the author does an excellent job placing the key observations within the economic setting of mining coal and digging canal, which he relates to one another very logically and clearly. The less interesting aspect was the class and personal rivalries that slowed acceptance (a little) but mostly threatened the credit due to Smith.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Simon Winchester?

yes

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

no

Any additional comments?

The author takes too much time at the beginning telling us, repeatedly, that the findings were important without actually telling us how or why. Maybe that is necessary in popularized science. He also expects the readers to know English geography better than I do. His personal experience on the beaches during school contribute only marginally to the main story. But the main story is (actually, finally) so important that these amount to quibbles.

Only for geology enthusiasts!

I am a big Winchester fan but this book failed to hold my attention. The premise, that a young geologist created a map that was the first solid rebuke of biblical origin story, is interesting but Winchester goes to extraordinary lengths to flesh this story out to the point where it became uninteresting. Now, if you're an avid fan of historical geology, then this book will be of great interest as, I believe, Winchester himself is a geologist. The research, writing, and reading of the text is exemplary, and what I have become accustomed to after listening to "The Perfectionists" and "The Meaning of Everything" which are two of my favorite books ever. However, people with less than a ravenous appetite for geology best chose one of his other works.

Average, at time offensive

I have enjoyed many books by Simon Winchester but this one is no more than average. At time, the tone is dismissive and condescending regarding religious beliefs. I find that offensive.

excellent!

As a geologist i found this book fascinating. I loved it. It does not read as a text book.

Interesting read, but why not metric?

Like the other books from Simon Winchester this book is pleasant, not least because the author reads his books himself. Even though this is a narrative rather than a scientific book I wish he would switch to the metric system instead of referring to feet, inches, pounds and ounces. As a science author he should not support the obsolete empirical system. Today only the United States, Liberia, and Myanmar continue to not use the metric system.

Only so much you can do

I am a fan of Mr Winchester’s books. In this case there was not enough there there (to borrow from Gertrude Stein). The subject was interesting from 10,000 foot importance of the geology work, but pretty dull on the ground, or, under the ground. And, not surprising for the field of science, William Smith was dull. I know I probably sound like the snobbish moneyed class that disrespected Smith but I’m just a listener who couldn’t wait to get the story over with. My favorite Winchester is The Man Who Loved China. Try that before this or you’ll never pick up another Winchester book. I give it 3 stars because Winchester’s eye for interesting people and events is spot on but there is only so much he could do with this

A surprisingly informative book

I especially enjoy when the author subtly details how geology gradually expanded the prevailing worldview of the times by showing the reality of fossils and an Earth with a far longer history than a mere six thousand years.

This book is a reminder that religious worldviews change in the face of current breakthroughs but how those same breakthroughs come to be forgotten with time leading people to fall back into beliefs such as carbon dating is not reliable and a return to thinking six thousand years is a reasonable estimate for the age of the Earth.

Too bad the religious don't read such books as this.