Bully for Brontosaurus: Reflections in Natural History 1st Edition

by Stephen Jay Gould (Author)

26 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0393029611

ISBN-10: 0393029611

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A collection of thirty-five essays--representing the best of the column "This View of Life" from "Natural History" magazine--focuses on the themes of evolution and of the innumerable oddities of nature

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Successor to The Panda's Thumb , The Flamingo's Smile and other books, this collection of essays from Natural History magazine may be Gould's finest to date. Focusing on evolution, oddities of nature, remote connections between historical figures and the battle against creationism, the author is severely critical of science education in the U.S. and, in "The Case of the Creeping Fox Terrier," textbook publishers who fail to adequately update their revisions. He introduces the (French) Royal Commission of 1784 and its investigation of Mesmerism as an example of logic; discourses on the real origin of baseball; attempts to reconstruct the human family tree. In "Justice Scalia's Misunderstanding," Gould chides Antonin Scalia for his dissent in the 1987 Supreme Court creationism case; the justice, he argues, equated creation and evolution. Whether his topic is typewriter design, the technical triumph of Voyager or Joe DiMaggio's hitting streak, Gould holds our attention. His essays are illuminating, instructive and fun to read. Photos. BOMC selection; History Book Club featured alternate.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Gould is a masterful essayist whose previous collections, such as The Flamingo's Smile ( LJ 9/15/85), as well as other titles, notably Wonderful Life ( LJ 9/1/89), have been well received. Most of the essays here, some with added postscripts and notes, were selected from his column in Natural History magazine (1985-90). Like those in his previous collections, these pithy essays focus on evolution and the workings of science. Gould's fans, serious readers many of whom eagerly await his essays to appear in book form, will find these works fascinating, literate, and often challenging--vintage Gould. Highly recommended for academic and public libraries. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 12/90.
- Joseph Hannibal, Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Hardcover: 540 pages
Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc; 1st edition (April 1, 1991)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0393029611
ISBN-13: 978-0393029611
Product Dimensions: 6 x 2 x 8.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 26 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #636,728 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #303 in Science Essays & Commentary (Books)
- #710 in Natural History
- #1726 in Zoology (Books)

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Jody M Clark

Bully

October 15, 2012

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I have not read all of Stephen Jay Gould's essays between the covers of "Bully for the Brontosaurus", but he already has me hooked. I especially appreciate his prologue support of a rich selection of everyday language to skillfully "share the power and beauty" of scientific study, both the breakthroughs and the material that requires more study, exploration and review. Gould also has a sensible way of looking at the way man can and can't change the earth, change the universe.

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MichaelS

Great read, regardless of your interests

June 16, 2011

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I picked this up for my college writing seminar and it worked out wonderfully. Not only is there a great deal of fascinating content in each essay as far as anthropology and biology is concerned, but Gould is a fantastic writer who can be examined in great depth. He spares no expense and deems no detail too trivial, as long as it's relevant, to include in his essays and I really appreciate that. I find Gould to be a very entertaining and accessible writer. He's not a showoff when it comes to his vocabulary (and if he does use an often misunderstood or unknown word, he's sure to do so with purpose and to explain it fully), but he's a master craftsman when it comes to his prose.

The book was perfect for my course and I read the rest of the thing just for fun. I highly recommend it to anyone.

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Dr. Scott Catey

Another excellent collection of essays

July 27, 2019

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Gould has always thrilled me and Bully for Brontosaurus is no exception. Breadth, wonder, and humaneness are his hallmarks. Well worth the read.

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Glenn A. Knight

Practice Makes (More Nearly) Perfect

March 9, 2001

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is the sixth of the collections of Gould's essays from the magazine Natural History. Gould has commented that, as he got better at essay writing, he found the earlier volumes less pleasing. Certainly, as he went along, he improved both in literary quality and in the depth of his treatment of issues. Gould is amusing, but always with a serious purpose: to educate the public about how science works, and how, often, it doesn't. In particular, the section of three essays gathered under the heading "Numbers and Probability" is very good at making one think about the real nature of "the odds."

3 people found this helpful

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Anna

Delightful!

May 3, 2011

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I bought this book out of sheer curiosity, and am I glad I did! Of course it is somewhat dated, but the main ideas are still as relevant as ever. It talks about many things I never would have thought could be fascinating, and it does so in a lighthearted, non-preachy manner without dumbing concepts down. I now plan to buy the rest of Mr. Gould's essay series.

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Mo B

the stories are great, science is really and brought to a level ...

February 20, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I bought this for a class but really, even if you are not a Bio major, the stories are great, science is really and brought to a level everyone can appreciate.

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Guillaume DIDIER

One of Stephen Jay Gould masterpiece, including a very ...

June 13, 2018

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

One of Stephen Jay Gould masterpiece, including a very amusing history of why we are still using a woefully inadequate keyboard disposition.

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Jeremiah Avins

Five Stars

January 11, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Gould is a master storyteller about real things that matter.

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Bully for Brontosaurus: Reflections in Natural History 1st Edition