Annals of the Former World by John McPhee

Don’t be deceived by its exceeding girth—Annals of the Former World is the single most readable geology book out there. McPhee is (luckily) not a trained geologist, and so, can be well understood by the average reader. The stories he tells about the formation of North America’s jumbled west coast, the attempted splitting of the central continent, and the questionable formation of the Rocky Mountains, are as much about the geologic formation of our continent as the people who unveil their mystery. This book is a jargon-light classic for those curious about geology, with writing that delights and educates the reader in one fell swoop.  

Paperback, 720 pages, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 9 ¼" x 6".