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I discovered him in the 80s and have read and completely enjoyed literally every book he has written. He’s a true wordsmith and worthy of the time it takes to r
by sizzzzlerz 9y ago
I discovered him in the 80s and have read and completely enjoyed literally every book he has written. He’s a true wordsmith and worthy of the time it takes to read his books.
- microtherion 9y agoI first read him when somebody recommended "La Place de la Concorde Suisse" to me. Having served in, and opposed the Swiss army myself (considering it an utter waste of time and money), I found his writing one sided, and rather naively regurgitating pro-army propaganda. It was only some years later, reading "Atchafalaya", that I started appreciating his writing: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1987/02/23/atchafalaya https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1987/02/23/atchafalaya
- njarboe 9y agoBeware of the Gell-Mann Amnesia effect[1], although I also enjoy McPhee. In this case, as a geologist, I find his geology stuff to be pretty good. [1]https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/65213-briefly-stated-the-gell-mann-amnesia-effect-is-as-follows-you https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/65213-briefly-stated-the-ge...
- sizzzzlerz 9y agoI'm not a geologist but I am interested in the science and have done a bit of reading on it. His books, particularly Assembling California, have always intrigued me. I've always wondered how professional geologists look at them. Given that he spent a lot of time in the company of some highly respected scientists, I imagine he got most of what he wrote right.