A Brief History of Earth: Four Billion Years in Eight Chapters

This is perhaps the best popular science book I have read in the past 5 years. The topic, the links between the evolution of earth's geology and biosphere, is one that has not been often covered, the writing is clear and the style (for me, at least) is very congenial. Some might regard this as very basic, while others find it dense and overladen with facts. However, the author, an expert in this subject (with a long career at Harvard to his credit), does a remarkable job in presenting a complex series of topics. He does so with great brevity with only the minimum of detail needed to construct a coherent picture. The organization of the book, "4 billion years in eight chapters," takes the the form of an elegant sequence of chapters entitled "Chemical Earth," "Physical Earth," "Biological Earth," "Oxygen Earth," "Animal Earth," "Green Earth," "Catastrophic Earth," and "Human Earth." These develop the motivating theme, our existence on earth and the biosphere we depend on is in critical danger. Perhaps to many this message has become dull with repetition, but Andrew Knoll's treatment of it is fresh and convincing. As he quotes Baba Dioum in the Prologue, ""we will conserve only what we love, and we will love only what we understand." "A Brief History of Earth" is a heroic effort by Dr. Knoll to promote a more complete understanding of the planet we live on.

Andrew Knoll's book is an excellent summary of the science and history of life on earth along with the related geological and climate history. There is also an excellent and extensive explanation of evidence to support the theories and conventional beliefs. It was an enjoyable and educational read. The last chapter, while good, left me a bit wanting. I would have liked to see more of a discussion on the various approaches to solving the climate change problem. Climate economists such as Nordhaus and Lonborg advocate an emphasis on research and development as the best bang for the buck in tackling the problem long-term. There is also a good discussion to be had on what is the best type of energy to replace fossil fuel energy. Granted, the focus of the book was earth history and not climate policy. But, it would be good to promote a non-polarized discussion on policy. It's not just about alarmists vs deniers. There are constructive debates to be had on means and methods.

A Brief History of Earth: Four Billion Years in Eight Chapters by Andrew H. Knoll makes me travel through Earth’s geological and biological history, presented in a concise and engaging narrative. The author really distills four billion years of complex processes into an accessible format for both science enthusiasts and general readers (that's me). Vivid storytelling, the emergence of life, and mass extinctions. All content is approachable without oversimplifying. The author shows how past events shape the present and future, particularly in the context of climate change. I learned a lot and want to go deeper into the subject. Thanks!

I thoroughly enjoyed the book primarily because of the great storytelling skills that Andrew Knoll has. The subject, if delivered pedantically, might have been very boring. However, Andrew does a great job in keeping the information relevant and fascinating. I also learned a great deal on the way. For example, I did not realize that the increase in the oxygen level in the air was not significant after the cyanobacteria did its magic. I was under the impression that the molecular oxygen level rapidly rose in a few millenia to the current level. The best chapter was the last one. The author does a great job of conveying the importance of taking action against global warming, tying the story back to the subject he covered in previous chapters. While doing that, he does not subject the deniers to shame or treat them condescendingly. I believe that's our best bet forward. If we try to shame the climate change deniers, all we will land up doing is having them put up a wall and deny what they see even more strongly.

I'm not a geologist or anything alike, so there are a lot of sections that seemed to deep in academic terminology without expressing purpose or consequence in the info displayed. However, from time to time there were data that really helped me have a clearer picture of our past and present, it helped me have a better understanding of our world and our relationship with it. So, at the end, it was all worth it.

My headline sums it up quite well. I was completely enthralled by this book , with the author's well written prose describing early Earth history, the origins of life, plate tectonics, volcanic activity and extinctions. And then, after the Cretaceous extinction of the Dinosaurs, the content of the book skips 66 million years to present day Earth and goes on and on about how Humans are destroying the planet with fossil fuels. To me, all of the content in this book about CO2 and global warming directly conflicts with the content about the Permian extinction and the Triassic Jurassic boundary extinction. The author clearly and concisely lays out how massive volcanic activity destroyed %90 of life on this planet, by spewing noxious gasses including CO2 into the atmosphere, choking out existing life and raising the temperature of the planet as well. But here's the thing, the author also points out that this volcanic activity, lasted for millions of years at a constant rate. The Earth was a hellscape of lava and black clouds filling the atmosphere, for millions of years at a time. Yes, Humans are destroying the planet in our own way by deforestation and especially pollution, I would never argue against that. But to blame a mere 130 years of burning coal and oil (and advancing the Human condition incredibly as a result) is going to lead the planet to extinction is patently ridiculous and directly contradicts the first half of the book. If you're a deep climate change believer in this way, you will enjoy the entirety of the book and may rate it 4-5 stars instead of my 3, which I rate the first half a 5, with the second half a 2.

This is a very informative, insightful, and readable history. I'd been exposed to much of it before, but Knoll's knowledge and viewpoints made me look at it in different ways. He has a holistic approach so that everything ties together: geology, biology, astrophysics, chemistry, evolution, geography ... that description sounds like a boring college class, except it's not. Well-written (occasional lapses into scientist-speak notwithstanding) and based on Knoll's incredibly wide breadth of knowlege, I highly recommend it.

Knoll’s writing draws you in to an already fantastic topic. I definitely had to read a few paragraphs more than once to truly understand the process and conclusions, but I expected that. I’ve had to read Stephen Hawking’s books more than once. I’m a history teacher, not a scientist. I appreciate any scientific writer willing to write to the masses in a way that the rest of us can understand. He does a very good job of making this science interesting and understandable. As a sci-fi movie buff, Journey to the Center of the Earth being a favorite, I’m not sure how the Jules Verne/H.G. Wells mistake got through the editing process. I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in the ground you stand on and how you got to stand upon it.