The flamingo's smile. Reflections in natural history
- 476 pages
- 17 hours of reading
Contains thirty of the author's essays from monthly columns in Natural History Magazine.
Stephen Jay Gould Books
September 10, 1941 – May 20, 2002
Stephen Jay Gould was a preeminent American paleontologist and evolutionary biologist, renowned for his compelling popular science writing. His empirical research primarily focused on land snails, and he co-developed the theory of punctuated equilibrium, which posits evolutionary stability punctuated by rapid change. Gould opposed strict selectionism and sociobiology, advocating for science and religion as compatible, non-overlapping "magisteria." His essays and books made complex scientific ideas accessible and engaging to a broad audience.
The richness of life
- 656 pages
- 23 hours of reading
There aren't many scientists famous enough in their lifetime to be canonized by the US Congress as one of America's 'living legends'. It is still more unlikely that the title should have been conferred on a man regarded by many in the US as a notorious ra
I Have Landed
- 320 pages
- 12 hours of reading
This collection of essays from "Natural History" magazine illuminate and elucidate key scientific concepts and their history, ranging from the discovery of the new scourge of syphilis by Fracastoro in the 16th century to Freud's weird speculations about human phylogeny.
Wonderful Life
The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History
Basing his argument around the history of science's treatment of the fossils of the Burgess shale, the author presents a view of evolution as a non-progressive system, which saw a wide range of early designs for life winnowed down to the relatively few basic designs that exist today.
This seventh collection of Stephen Jay Gould's natural history essays covers subjects ranging from fossils to ship worms, starting with a solar eclipse in New York, and finishing with bus stops in Greece.
Essays from the author's column This view of life, published in Natural history.
Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes
- 414 pages
- 15 hours of reading
Lively and fascinating... [Gould] writes beautifully about science and the wonders of nature.-Tracy Kidder
The Panda's Thumb
- 344 pages
- 13 hours of reading
Gould is a natural writer; he has something to say and the inclination and skill with which to say it. -P. B. Medawar, New York Review of Books
Punctuated Equilibrium
- 408 pages
- 15 hours of reading
"In 1972 Stephen Jay Gould took the scientific world by storm with his paper on punctuated equilibrium, written with Niles Eldredge. Challenging a core assumption of Darwin's theory of evolution, it launched the career of one of the most influential evolutionary biologists of our time - perhaps the best known since Darwin."
The Structure of Evolutionary Theory
- 1464 pages
- 52 hours of reading
The book critiques classical Darwinism by examining its fundamental components, historical development, and origins. It challenges established beliefs and proposes a new framework for understanding evolutionary theory, encouraging readers to rethink traditional concepts in light of contemporary insights.
