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Bully for Brontosaurus: Reflections in Natural History Illustrated Edition, Kindle Edition

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 71 ratings

"Provocative and delightfully discursive essays on natural history. . . . Gould is the Stan Musial of essay writing. He can work himself into a corkscrew of ideas and improbable allusions paragraph after paragraph and then, uncoiling, hit it with such power that his fans know they are experiencing the game of essay writing at its best."--John Noble Wilford, New York Times Book Review


 



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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Stephen Jay Gould has a wide range of interests, and for many years he has shared his enthusiasms in the pages of Natural History and the New York Review of Books, among other journals. His passions include baseball, the puzzles of evolutionary theory, and the game of scholarly detection as it applies to questions such as, "What became of dinosaurs, anyway?". He answers entertainingly, but never talks down to his readers. Gould is one of modern natural science's great popularizers, but he shuns the temptation to make the giant reptiles of prehistory the Smurfs of the 1990s, in the manner of a certain purple dinosaur. The 35 pieces gathered here make for fine browsing, full of sideways glances and digressions that eventually make sense.

From Publishers Weekly

Successor to The Panda's Thumb , The Flamingo's Smile and other books, this collection of essays from Natural History magazine may be Gould's finest to date. Focusing on evolution, oddities of nature, remote connections between historical figures and the battle against creationism, the author is severely critical of science education in the U.S. and, in "The Case of the Creeping Fox Terrier," textbook publishers who fail to adequately update their revisions. He introduces the (French) Royal Commission of 1784 and its investigation of Mesmerism as an example of logic; discourses on the real origin of baseball; attempts to reconstruct the human family tree. In "Justice Scalia's Misunderstanding," Gould chides Antonin Scalia for his dissent in the 1987 Supreme Court creationism case; the justice, he argues, equated creation and evolution. Whether his topic is typewriter design, the technical triumph of Voyager or Joe DiMaggio's hitting streak, Gould holds our attention. His essays are illuminating, instructive and fun to read. Photos. BOMC selection; History Book Club featured alternate.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004GB1FU8
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company; Illustrated edition (November 29, 2010)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 29, 2010
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2491 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 548 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 71 ratings

About the author

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Stephen Jay Gould
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Stephen Jay Gould (1941-2002) was the Alexander Agassiz Professor of Zoology and Professor of Geology at Harvard University. He published over twenty books, received the National Book and National Book Critics Circle Awards, and a MacArthur Fellowship.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
71 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2011
I picked this up for my college writing seminar and it worked out wonderfully. Not only is there a great deal of fascinating content in each essay as far as anthropology and biology is concerned, but Gould is a fantastic writer who can be examined in great depth. He spares no expense and deems no detail too trivial, as long as it's relevant, to include in his essays and I really appreciate that. I find Gould to be a very entertaining and accessible writer. He's not a showoff when it comes to his vocabulary (and if he does use an often misunderstood or unknown word, he's sure to do so with purpose and to explain it fully), but he's a master craftsman when it comes to his prose.

The book was perfect for my course and I read the rest of the thing just for fun. I highly recommend it to anyone.
2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2012
I have not read all of Stephen Jay Gould's essays between the covers of "Bully for the Brontosaurus", but he already has me hooked. I especially appreciate his prologue support of a rich selection of everyday language to skillfully "share the power and beauty" of scientific study, both the breakthroughs and the material that requires more study, exploration and review. Gould also has a sensible way of looking at the way man can and can't change the earth, change the universe.
Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2021
Thought provoking. Must admit I had to Google some vocabulary
Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2014
A great book by Stephen Jay Gould dealing with the mechanisms of evolution and the controversy darwinism- creationism.
Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2021
I purchased this book for my daughter. This is one of her favorite authors.
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2011
I bought this book out of sheer curiosity, and am I glad I did! Of course it is somewhat dated, but the main ideas are still as relevant as ever. It talks about many things I never would have thought could be fascinating, and it does so in a lighthearted, non-preachy manner without dumbing concepts down. I now plan to buy the rest of Mr. Gould's essay series.
Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2019
Gould has always thrilled me and Bully for Brontosaurus is no exception. Breadth, wonder, and humaneness are his hallmarks. Well worth the read.
Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2018
This writer never disappoints - he's the best at explaining complex scientific ideas so laymen can understand and appreciate them. He will surely be missed.

Top reviews from other countries

Jeff Mackwood
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on December 29, 2014
Great collection of essays by an amazing author.
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