A fantastic distillation of Earth's history, from one of the worlds leading geologists: Andrew H. Knoll has written an engrossing, witty, and eminently readable romp through our home planets 4.5 billion years, from trilobites and dinosaurs to human origins and our rapidly changing modern times. Steve Brusatte, New York Times bestselling author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs
"Having spent decades at the forefront of discovery and research, Andrew H. Knoll has been one of our planet's leading scientists. In A Brief History of Earth, Knoll treats us to a 4.6-billion-year detective story revealing the origins and inner workings of our home in the solar system. In these pages you'll discover something profound: how our past, present, and future are grounded in Planet Earth." Neil Shubin, author of Your Inner Fish and Some Assembly Required
"Covers the arc of our planets history from its earliest formation to the present day in a succinct and deftly-written way." Forbes
Charts the planets history in accessible style, from its beginning as a small planet accreted out of rocky debris circling a modest young star through the development of minerals, geographical formations, atmosphere, and life forms large and small. Associated Press
"Skillfully condenses the history of the Earth. ... An expert primer on the history of everything." Kirkus Reviews
"A sublime chronicle of our planets formation and beginnings, the perhaps unlikely yet awe-inspiring interactions that created life, diverse and abundant, and mass extinctions and recoveries. Knoll skillfully presents the extreme conditions, violence, and delicate fragility that mark the cycles and evolution of our home." Booklist (starred review)
"The type of book that is sorely needed at this moment in history. ... Knoll assembles facts from a wide variety of fields to tell our planets story in a clear and accessible narrative." Scientific Inquirer
An eloquent call to action. CNN.com
"In spite of its sweeping scale, the Harvard geologist and natural history professors primer not only makes the titular four billion years understandable his accessible expertise makes it interesting."
Globe and Mail (Toronto)
