Ice Age (Penguin Press Science S.) [Paperback]

John Gribbin (Author)

Book Description

Series: Penguin Press Science S. | Publication Date: January 30, 2003

On 24 June 1837, Louis Agassiz stunned the learned members of the Swiss Society of Natural Sciences by addressing them, in his role as President, not with an anticipated lecture on fossil fishes, but with a passionate presentation on the existence of ice ages. No one was convinced. He even dragged the reluctant members of the Society up into the mountains to see the evidence for themselves, pointing out the scars on the hard rocks left by glaciation (which some of those present tried to explain away as having been produced by the wheels of passing carriages). Extraordinarily, it would take a further 140 years before the ice age theory was fully proved and understood. John and Mary Gribbin tell the remarkable story of how we came to understand the phenomenon of ice ages, focusing on the key personalities obsessed with the search for answers. How frequently do ice ages occur? How do astronomical rhythms affect the Earth's climate? Have there always been two polar ice caps? Is it true that tiny changes in the heat balance of the Earth could plunge us back into full ice age conditions? With startling new material on how the last major Ice Epoch could have hastened human evolution, "Ice Age" explains why the Earth was once covered in ice - and how that made us human.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"So you think it's cold now? This readable little work will make you glad you are not a whole lot colder. John and Mary Gribbin's pithy book tells us we are lucky not to be living under the heavy mantle if ice and snow which permanently covered Scotland and the north of England 10,000 years ago" - The Daily Telegraph

About the Author

John Gribbin is the acclaimed author of many popular science books in Penguin, including The Little Book of Science (1999). Mary Gribbin is best known as a writer of science books for young readers. Together the Gribbins have written several science books, including Richard Feynman: A Life in Science (Penguin, 1998).

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Books (January 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0141007303
• ISBN-13: 978-0141007304
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,590,584 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Primer On The Ice Ages, August 23, 2005

By 

Bruce Crocker "agnostictrickster" (Whittier, California United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ice Age: The Theory That Came In From The Cold! (Hardcover)

When I first saw and bought Ice Age by John and Mary Gribbin, I thought that I'd give it to the school library straight away - it looked like a good little book that a high school student would be able to handle. Yesterday, I needed a short book to read, so I pulled it off the shelf. Ice Age is a very pleasant surprise. John and Mary Gribbin, a powerhouse science writing duo, have given us a nice, little essay on how we discovered the ice ages in the first place and how we discovered the main cause of those ice ages. This would be a great little book for someone to read before they took on one of the more difficult tomes on ice ages or climate change. I recommend this book to any one looking for a brief background on the history of the science surrounding the ice ages.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The theory that came in from the cold!, September 21, 2005

By 

Steven Mason (California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ice Age: The Theory That Came In From The Cold! (Hardcover)

This little book by husband and wife team John and Mary Gribbin is a model of lucidity in scientific exposition. At first glance, it appears to be written for children, but it is an excellent introduction to the topic of Ice Ages and geologic history for ages ten to adult. Given all the talk about global warming, what a shock to learn that we are currently living in an Ice Age! I know it sounds crazy, but read the book! The Gribbins have written other science related books, and I plan to read some of them.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Alot of good information in a small book, August 28, 2005

By 

Obi "Obi wan liberali" (SLC, UT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ice Age: The Theory That Came In From The Cold! (Hardcover)

The authors do a very good job of explaining the evidence for ice ages and how the earth is currently in an inter-glacial stage within the overall ice age of the planet. The book discusses theories regarding the causes of the ice age from the movement of continents towards the poles as well as slight variations in the orbit of the earth around the sun that occur over time at regular intervals.

Though none of us reviewing the book will live to see a return to a glaciation phase in the ice age, it is interesting to note that we are well on our way towards the period when glaciation will occur again. The shortened growing season of such a period could spell disaster for our descendents.

I was deeply impressed with how much interesting and relevant information the authors were able to provide in a short little book. If you have a cross-country flight and you are looking for a really interesting book to read, this is one I highly recommend.