Title: The Map that Changed the World

Author: Simon Winchester

Publisher: Perennial 2002

Genre: History, Geology, Geography

Pages: 329

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual (NonAd); Nonfiction

In 1793, a canal digger named William Smith made a startling discovery. He found that by tracing the placement of fossils, which he uncovered in his excavations, one could follow layers of rocks as they dipped and rose and fell—clear across England and, indeed, clear across the world—making it possible, for the first time ever, to draw a chart of the hidden underside of the earth. Smith spent twenty-two years piecing together the fragments of this unseen universe to create an epochal and remarkably beautiful hand-painted map. But instead of receiving accolades and honors, he ended up in debtors' prison, the victim of plagiarism, and virtually homeless for ten years more.

A fascinating subject matter even if the volume was a bit dry. Going into the book, I knew almost nothing about William Smith's map of England. In this respect, I learned a lot about his project and in general science in the late 18th, early 19th century. Winchester even mentions a few stories that I did now about. Specifically, he mentions Mary Anning and her discoveries. I read a fictionalized account of Anning life and discoveries about a year ago (Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier). The few times that Winchester dived into rock layers, I started to get less interested in continuing to read. But continue I did. I am glad that I finished the book. Another random subject that I now know more about.