Begins with the search for an alchemist's secret and ends with the re-imagination of a past world. Each chapter is connected to a particular corner of north-east England and each explores the uncertain line where myth is dissolved into science, and belief gives way to knowledge. The stories move from documentary accounts to fictional recreations of historic events, from contemporary writings and illustrations to present-day reflection. By using different ways of describing the world of scientific endeavour, the author has produced a fascinating, visually beautiful and highly entertaining book which allows us to witness the birth of a new science – the science of geology.
Roger Osborne studied geology at Manchester University in the early 1970s. He then worked as a publisher of scientific, medical and technical books before becoming a full-time writer in 1992. He is the co-author of The Atlas of Earth History, The Atlas of Evolution and, most recently, the critically acclaimed Civilization. He lives in North Yorkshire.
"If it crossed your mind that geology was dull, Roger Osborne's The Floating Egg will disabuse you of that notion. His exploration of geology's Yorkshire roots is infallibly entertaining."
- Richard Fortey, New Scientist