4 ms·

McPhee is one of those are authors who can make science approachable and at the same time, the everyday people around it deeply fascinating. To HN readers I wou

McPhee is one of those are authors who can make science approachable and at the same time, the everyday people around it deeply fascinating. To HN readers I would recommend The Curve of Binding Energy or Annals of the Former World.

CPLX 8y ago
Annals of the Former World is incredible. The topic is so dry, it's about rocks, but his writing so so compelling it propels you forward into the story. I kept finding myself wondering why I was finding it interesting, since by all rights it shouldn't be, but somehow he draws you in.
- EamonnMR 8y ago
  It's about rocks but really it's about everything.
  - njarboe 8y ago
    True. Everything on Earth is either a rock or not very old. To understand the history of Earth and evolution of life, one need to read the rocks.
hcrisp 8y ago
I enjoyed Curve of Binding Energy, and also Coming Into The Country, which is about the history, people, and geography of Alaska. Lots of interesting anecdotes: tourists fishing in pristine rivers, prospectors panning for gold using bulldozers, wilderness-seekers struggling to surviving the brutal winters off-grid. I also learned that Juneau may be the wind-whipped capital but it is really more similar to warmer parts of Canada. Anchorage is the grimy urban center, a port city more deserving of Alaskan fame. Neither really represent the forbidding interior of the state.
sizzzzlerz 8y ago
my favorite non-fiction writer. with the exception of Annals, i've read and enjoyed everything he has written. i didn't that one because i read all four of the books that make it up. i just reserved the patch at my library.
- EamonnMR 8y ago
  If you've read his other books but not Annals, you may have missed out on the final essay: Crossing the Craton which is about the oldest rock on the continent.
  - sizzzzlerz 8y ago
    I didn't know that. I'll check it out.
Wistar 8y ago
My older brother, a journalist and writer, introduced me to McPhee when I was in my teens by having me read A Room Full of Hovings. I am a fan of most of his work but his profile of Thomas Hoving is my all-time favorite.

CPLX 8y ago

Annals of the Former World is incredible. The topic is so dry, it's about rocks, but his writing so so compelling it propels you forward into the story. I kept finding myself wondering why I was finding it interesting, since by all rights it shouldn't be, but somehow he draws you in.

EamonnMR 8y ago
It's about rocks but really it's about everything.
- njarboe 8y ago
  True. Everything on Earth is either a rock or not very old. To understand the history of Earth and evolution of life, one need to read the rocks.

hcrisp 8y ago

I enjoyed Curve of Binding Energy, and also Coming Into The Country, which is about the history, people, and geography of Alaska. Lots of interesting anecdotes: tourists fishing in pristine rivers, prospectors panning for gold using bulldozers, wilderness-seekers struggling to surviving the brutal winters off-grid. I also learned that Juneau may be the wind-whipped capital but it is really more similar to warmer parts of Canada. Anchorage is the grimy urban center, a port city more deserving of Alaskan fame. Neither really represent the forbidding interior of the state.

sizzzzlerz 8y ago

my favorite non-fiction writer. with the exception of Annals, i've read and enjoyed everything he has written. i didn't that one because i read all four of the books that make it up. i just reserved the patch at my library.

EamonnMR 8y ago
If you've read his other books but not Annals, you may have missed out on the final essay: Crossing the Craton which is about the oldest rock on the continent.
- sizzzzlerz 8y ago
  I didn't know that. I'll check it out.

Wistar 8y ago

My older brother, a journalist and writer, introduced me to McPhee when I was in my teens by having me read A Room Full of Hovings. I am a fan of most of his work but his profile of Thomas Hoving is my all-time favorite.