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On many occasion, online, and in person, I have stated that I believe that Stephen Jay Gould is one of the finest authors / writers that the United States has ever produced. He is one of but a very few about whom I can honestly say that reading his works makes me a better person.
I refer you to wiki for the full bio http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Jay_Gould.
I believe that he published 26 books in total, from 1977 to 2007. At least that's how many I have and I think I have them all!
With a few exceptions, most of these are collections of his monthly essays. They tackle a very wide range of subjects - from evolution, to the extinction of North American native peoples.
His theory of punctuated equilibrium, which I first read about in his 1989 book Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History, is what made me an immediate fan of his. It remains one of the most incredible and insightful books I have ever read. And it is very readable! (Sidenote: after reading the book, I was at a private function at the Smithsonian when a curator happened to see me looking with great interest at their public display of Burgess Shale fossils. We started talking and I mentioned Gould's book. She then offered (and I accepted) to take me to the drawers of fossils not accessible to the public, including many that were covered in Gould's book. It is because of experiences like that that we create bucket lists! But I digress...)
But the essay that has had, and can still have, the most profound effect on many people is what I call his essay on cancer. Here's a link to a copy http://cancerguide.org/median_not_msg.html. I have referred countless cancer patients to it. An amazing work.
I encourage anyone with a thirst for knowledge, and a desire for self-improvement, to read anything written by Stephen Jay Gould.
I refer you to wiki for the full bio http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Jay_Gould.
I believe that he published 26 books in total, from 1977 to 2007. At least that's how many I have and I think I have them all!
With a few exceptions, most of these are collections of his monthly essays. They tackle a very wide range of subjects - from evolution, to the extinction of North American native peoples.
His theory of punctuated equilibrium, which I first read about in his 1989 book Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History, is what made me an immediate fan of his. It remains one of the most incredible and insightful books I have ever read. And it is very readable! (Sidenote: after reading the book, I was at a private function at the Smithsonian when a curator happened to see me looking with great interest at their public display of Burgess Shale fossils. We started talking and I mentioned Gould's book. She then offered (and I accepted) to take me to the drawers of fossils not accessible to the public, including many that were covered in Gould's book. It is because of experiences like that that we create bucket lists! But I digress...)
But the essay that has had, and can still have, the most profound effect on many people is what I call his essay on cancer. Here's a link to a copy http://cancerguide.org/median_not_msg.html. I have referred countless cancer patients to it. An amazing work.
I encourage anyone with a thirst for knowledge, and a desire for self-improvement, to read anything written by Stephen Jay Gould.