A couple good reads…

I’d like to recommend a couple books that I’ve read and highly recommend for anyone who is looking to expand their knowledge of the earth, and appreciates pictures to help them along the way (they are, after all, worth a thousand words each… or so they say).

The books are old and out of print, but each is available new and used online — Amazon has them, but each is also available from other sources if you aren’t a fan.

Geology Illustrated, by John S. Shelton (1966)

This has got to be one of the finest introductions to the earth that I’ve ever seen. Dr. Shelton was truly unique and had a perfect combination of talents: he was a literate geologist (considered by many to be nearly impossible) who was also a professional-grade photographer and pilot. As such, his book is exactly what the title promises: Geology Illustrated.

Dr. Shelton would hop into his plane, mount his professional, large-aperture camera, and take aerial photographs of his subject of the day. One of the true advantages of his photos is when they were taken: in the 1950s and 60s, before air pollution became the problem that it is today. He was able to take aerial photos that are crisp and clear, and you can actually see the ground from the elevation he was at in his plane.

Probably the only glaring negative that is that — since it was originally published in 1966 — Geology Illustrated was written prior to the recognition of plate tectonics as the unifying force that shapes all aspects of the earth. While this is very unfortunate (imagine what he could have done with the topic if only he’d known), the missing information is made up for by the quality and clarity of everything else.

Minerals and Man, by Cornelius J. Hurlbut (1970)

Minerals and Man is exactly what the title claims: how mankind interacts with the rocks and minerals that that come from the earth. Since absolutely everything we need and use comes from the earth, this covers just about all we see in a normal day.

Using examples of common materials that we all recognize, Dr. Hurlbut describes how minerals and rocks are formed, how and where they can be found, and why they are so important to humanity. I highly recommend this as an introduction to minerals… and man.

But wait! as Billy would have said. I’d like to mention one more. This one isn’t strictly a geology text, but it is surely about the earth.

The Vertical World of Yosemite, edited by Galen A. Rowell

Oh my! This one is a compilation of descriptions — by the initial mountaineers — of the first ascents of the principal faces of Yosemite Valley in the Sierra Nevada of California. Rightfully considered one of the premier climbing areas on earth, these first-hand accounts are a must read for any serious rock climber (that elite group definitely does not include your humble reporter who is, and will forever be, terminally petrified by heights).

The Vertical World of Yosemite covers all the principal climbs by the first to make the ascent — Half Dome, Cathedral Spire, El Capitan, and more — but I think that what caught me the most were the differences in approach (and morality/ethics) of two of the primary mountaineers of the early days: Royal Robbins and Warren Harding. Oh yeah! Two very different approaches to climbing, and I’ll leave it to you to decide which of them got it right.