The Great Devonian Controversy

"Arguably the best work to date in the history of geology."David R. Oldroyd,Science "After a superficial first glance, most readers of good will and broad knowledge might dismiss [this book] as being too much about too little. They would be making one of the biggest mistakes in their intellectual lives. . . . [It] could become one of our century's key documents in understanding science and its history."Stephen Jay Gould,New York Review of Books "Surely one of the most important studies in the history of science of recent years, and arguably the best work to date in the history of geology."David R. Oldroyd,Science

List of Illustrations Preface List of Footnote Abbreviations Dramatis Personae Part I - Setting the Score 1. Scientific Research under a Historical Microscope 2. Arenas of Gentlemanly Debate 3. Unraveling the Earth Part II - The Plot Unfolds 4. Prelude: Unraveling the Greywacke 5. The Controversy Goes Public 6. Taming the Transition 7. Devonshire Put to the Test 8. Interpretative Maneuvers 9. Shifting the Argument 10. Big Books in Collision 11. The Devonian System Reborn 12. Conquering the Continent 13. Creating a Consensus 14. The Devonian Naturalized Part III - The Action Analyzed 15. The Shape of the Controversy 16. The Shaping of Natural Knowledge Appendices Bibliography Index