BIBLIO is the largest independent book marketplace in the world, with over 100 million books.

Skip to content

Annals of the Former World
Stock photo: cover may vary

Annals of the Former World Paperback - 2000

by John McPhee

Add to wish list

"Tripling as a geology primer, an autobiography, and a panorama of the nation, bejeweled with splendid vignettes and set-pieces, "Annals of the Former World" offers a view of America like no other. . . . Yield to its geopoetry and have your eyes opened to a barely known aspect of the continent."--Roy Porter, "Los Angeles Times Book Review." A Pulitzer Prize-winning book. 25 maps.

About this book

Annals of the Former World is a book on geology written by John McPhee and published in 1998 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. It won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction. The book presents a geological history of North America, and was researched and written over the course of two decades beginning in 1978."Most mountain ranges around the world are the result of compression, of segments of the earth's crust being brought together, bent, mashed, thrust and folded, squeezed up into the sky-- the Himalaya, the Appalachians, the Alps, the Urals, the Andes. The ranges of the Basin and Range came up another way, The crust-- in this region between the Rockies and the Sierra-- is spreading out, being stretched, being thinned, being literally pulled to pieces. The sites of Reno and Salt Lake City, on opposite sides of the province, have moved apart fifty miles. The crust of the Great Basin has broken into blocks... irregular in shape. They... suggest stretch marks. Which they are."


Reader reviews for Annals of the Former World

From the publisher

The Pulitzer Prize-winning view of the continent, across the fortieth parallel and down through 4.6 billion years

Twenty years ago, when John McPhee began his journeys back and forth across the United States, he planned to describe a cross section of North America at about the fortieth parallel and, in the process, come to an understanding not only of the science but of the style of the geologists he traveled with. The structure of the book never changed, but its breadth caused him to complete it in stages, under the overall title Annals of the Former World.

Like the terrain it covers, Annals of the Former World tells a multilayered tale, and the reader may choose one of many paths through it. As clearly and succinctly written as it is profoundly informed, this is our finest popular survey of geology and a masterpiece of modern nonfiction.

Annals of the Former World is the winner of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction.

First edition identification

Farrar, Straus and Giroux published the First Edition in New York, 1983. The hardcover is bound in brown cloth covered boards with gilt text on the spine.


Details

  • Title Annals of the Former World
  • Author John McPhee
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition [ Edition: Repri
  • Pages 720
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York
  • Publication date 2000-06-15
  • Features Index, Maps, Table of Contents
  • ISBN 9780374518738 / 0374518734
  • Weight 1.94 lbs (0.88 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.24 x 6.06 x 1.76 in (23.47 x 15.39 x 4.47 cm)
  • Category Science
  • Library of Congress subjects Geology - United States
  • Library of Congress Catalogue Number 97039660
  • Dewey Decimal Code 557.3

Media reviews

Citations

  • New York Times, 06/18/2000, Page 28

About the author

John McPhee was born in Princeton, New Jersey, and was educated at Princeton University and Cambridge University. His writing career began at Time magazine and led to his long association with The New Yorker, where he has been a staff writer since 1965. Also in 1965, he published his first book, A Sense of Where You Are, with Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and in the years since, he has written nearly 30 books, including Oranges (1967), Coming into the Country (1977), The Control of Nature (1989), The Founding Fish (2002), Uncommon Carriers (2007), and Silk Parachute (2011). Encounters with the Archdruid (1972) and The Curve of Binding Energy (1974) were nominated for National Book Awards in the category of science. McPhee received the Award in Literature from the Academy of Arts and Letters in 1977. In 1999, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Annals of the Former World. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey.

More Copies for Sale

Annals of the Former World
More photos

Annals of the Former World

by McPhee, John

  • Used
  • Good
  • Paperback
Condition
Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780374518738 / 0374518734
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$4.12
A$18.52 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Good. 2000. Paperback. 0374518734 . 154.94 X 1.75 X 9.15 inches; 720 pages .
Add to wish list
Item price
A$4.12
A$18.52 Delivery to USA
Annals of the Former World
Stock photo: cover may vary

Annals of the Former World

by McPhee, John

  • Used
  • Good
  • Paperback
Condition
Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780374518738 / 0374518734
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$12.08
A$5.74 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2000-06-15. paperback. Good. 6x1x9. Ships Out Tomorrow!
Add to wish list
Item price
A$12.08
A$5.74 Delivery to USA
annals of the former world
Stock photo: cover may vary

annals of the former world

by mcphee, john

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780374518738 / 0374518734
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$15.81
A$9.34 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Trade Paperback. FSG 2000. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Light Wear. Cover Creased. Unless Listed in this decription, VG or Better.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$15.81
A$9.34 Delivery to USA
Annals of the Former World
Stock photo: cover may vary

Annals of the Former World

by John McPhee

  • Used
  • Very good
  • Paperback
Condition
Very good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780374518738 / 0374518734
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$15.82
A$8.62 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Clean, solid uncreased spine, no writing or marks, no folded page corners. Not a remainder.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$15.82
A$8.62 Delivery to USA
Annals of the Former World
Stock photo: cover may vary

Annals of the Former World

by John McPhee

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Very Good+
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780374518738 / 0374518734
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$17.26
A$8.62 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Clean, square uncreased spine, no writing or marks, no folded page corners. Not a remainder.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$17.26
A$8.62 Delivery to USA
Annals of the Former World
Stock photo: cover may vary

Annals of the Former World

by McPhee, John

  • Used
  • Paperback
  • first
Condition
Used
Edition
First Edition
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780374518738 / 0374518734
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$18.50
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2000-06-15. First Edition. paperback. Used: Good. 6.10x1.80x9.05. Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$18.50
Free Delivery to USA
Annals of the Former World
Stock photo: cover may vary

Annals of the Former World

by McPhee, John

  • Used
Condition
Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780374518738 / 0374518734
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$20.54
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Farrar, Straus & Giroux. Used - Very Good. Pages intact with possible writing/highlighting. Binding strong with minor wear. Dust jackets/supplements may not be included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$20.54
Free Delivery to USA
Annals of the Former World
Stock photo: cover may vary

Annals of the Former World

by McPhee, John

  • Used
Condition
Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780374518738 / 0374518734
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$20.54
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Farrar, Straus & Giroux. Used - Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$20.54
Free Delivery to USA
Annals of the Former World
Stock photo: cover may vary

Annals of the Former World

by McPhee, John

  • Used
  • Good
  • Paperback
  • first
Condition
Good
Edition
First Edition
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780374518738 / 0374518734
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$20.71
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2000-06-15. First Edition. paperback. Good. 15.5x4.6x23. Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$20.71
Free Delivery to USA
Annals of the Former World
Stock photo: cover may vary

Annals of the Former World

by McPhee, John

  • New
  • Paperback
  • first
Condition
New
Edition
First Edition
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780374518738 / 0374518734
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$28.55
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2000-06-15. First Edition. paperback. New. 6.10x1.80x9.05. Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$28.55
Free Delivery to USA