An Unofficial 'The MeatEater Podcast' Reading List
Annals of the Former World
Author: John McPhee
Referenced in 8 episodes
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July 22, 2024
Context:
Steve references this Pulitzer Prize-winning geology book while discussing Earth's history and geological timescales. He mentions that McFee said if he could sum up the book in one sentence, it would be 'the top of Mount Everest is marine limestone.' He also references McFee's metaphor about Earth's history spanning fingertip to fingertip, where human history could be removed with one stroke of a nail file.
July 31, 2023
Context:
Speaker extensively discusses this Pulitzer Prize-winning work on American geology, quoting several key points from it including that 'the top of Mount Everest is marine limestone' and explanations about geological timescales and the formation of Alaska. This is mentioned when sharing what he is most thankful about at the cabin.
November 07, 2022
Context:
Described as John McFee's 'phenomenal trilogy on American geology.' Steve references a quote from it where McFee says if he had to sum up the book in one sentence, it would be 'the top of Mount Everest is a marine limestone.'
November 30, 2020
Context:
Steve references McPhee's trilogy on geology, specifically quoting that 'if I could sum up this book in one sentence, it would be that the top of Mount Everest is made from marine limestone.' He uses this as an analogy for summarizing their own survival book, saying if he had to sum it up in one sentence, it would be 'get OnX and InReach.'
November 18, 2019
Context:
The speaker references 'John mcfee's Pulitzer Prize winning book Animals of the Former World' (likely a transcription error for 'Annals of the Former World'), describing it as 'a geological history book.' They quote two memorable lines from it: that the top of Mount Everest is marine limestone, and that if you imagine Earth's history as your arms stretched out, you could remove all of human history with one stroke of a nail file. This was discussed in the context of the dramatic landscape changes and flooding in South Dakota.
August 26, 2019
Context:
Steve mentions reading this book while discussing geology and mountain formation in the US. He says 'Have you ever read uh, Animals of the Former World by Geo McPhee. It explains all the geography in the US' and notes it 'won a Pulitzer.' The book discusses how Alaska was formed from islands that docked against the continent. This comes up during a discussion about the Ouachita and Ozark mountain ranges.
August 28, 2017
Context:
Mike discusses this book during a conversation about geological time and extinction. He explains that John McFee wrote three books about geology that were eventually published together as 'Annals of the Former World.' He mentions a key quote from the book: 'if he had to sum up his trilogy in one sentence, it would be that the peak of Mount Everest is marine limestone.' The book is used to illustrate the vastness of geological time compared to human history.
December 23, 2015
Context:
Referenced during a discussion about geology and the Earth's age. The speaker describes it as 'a great trilogy written by [John McPhee] about geology' and quotes a memorable line from it about Mount Everest containing marine limestone at its peak. The author's name appears to be transcribed as 'geomic Fee' but this is clearly referring to John McPhee's famous geological work.