Book Description
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Book Description

A pioneering geologist from Scotland, Charles Lyell (1797-1875) was one of the nineteenth century's most important and controversial scientists. His landmark 1830 book Principles of Geology, for example, went against the received wisdom of the age and posited that throughout the history of the earth, geological changes occurred largely through slow and ongoing processes. And although he is today perhaps best known as Charles Darwin's mentor, Lyell's contributions are still felt in the disciplines of geology and evolutionary biology. In Lyell in America, Leonard Wilson continues his acclaimed study of Lyell's life and works with this chronicle of Lyell's extensive travels throughout America which blends detailed scientific observations with colorful travelogue.

Lyell first came to America in 1841, remaining for more than a year and touring widely. His immediate reason for the journey was to deliver the prestigious Lowell lectures in Boston. His larger purpose was to study the geology of North America, hoping that the vast scale of the continent -- its mountain ranges, plains, great lakes, and rivers -- would confirm his belief in the uniformity of geological history. The America he and his wife Mary arrived in was a country in transition. Now more than two hundred years old, the English settlements along the Atlantic seaboard had, in relative isolation, developed a distinctly American culture. Over the course of this tour and three subsequent trips to North America (twice for extended periods), Lyell observed both America's geological phenomena and its social landscape. He studied coal deposits, and collected rocks and fossils. He showed how the Niagara River formed its dramatic gorge. He rode to the top of Mount Washington. And he assessed the sophistication of the geological sciences in North America through conversations with his American counterparts.

In his travels, Lyell also made insightful observations about American society and the continent's pronounced regional differences. Traveling along the entire Atlantic coast and as far inland as the Mississippi River, he and Mary saw villages, towns, and cities of every size and temperament, and they met and came to know many Americans. Lyell marveled at the prosperity and rapid growth of pioneer settlements into flourishing cities, as well as at the vigorous enterprise of the American people. He enjoyed the speed and comfort of the river steamboats and the friendliness of the people. In the South, he studied slavery and challenged many of the racist suppositions of white intellectuals there, pondering how the institution of slavery might be ended. Lyell in America provides the first detailed exploration of Lyell's pivotal years of American travel using previously unpublished letters and journals, together with Lyell's published writings. Through the eyes of Charles and Mary Lyell, Leonard Wilson provides a vivid portrait of antebellum America and of Lyell's contributions to American geology.