The Map That Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology

Simon Winchester, trained as a geologist, is a bit fascinated with catastrophes. He has written about the eruption of Krakatoa (Krakatoa) and the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 (A Crack In the Edge of the World) along with many other books on diverse subjects (The Professor and the Madman, for instance, which describes one of the more intriguing contributors to the Oxford English Dictionary). But The Map That Changed the World must, for him, have been a special endeavor as William Smith the creator of the map is especially revered by the English and resides, along with Hutton and Lyell in their geological pantheon, which is obviously crowded. The map, the first truly geological map, covers most of the British Isles and looks remarkably similar to current U.S. geological maps, especially in the use of myriad colors to indicate different formations. (The word "geology" was first used in its modern sense in 1735.) Today, the eight foot by six map hangs behind blue curtains in Burlington House on the north side of Piccadilly. The map Smith created "...was conceived, imagined, begun, undertaken, and continued and completed [in 1815] against all odds by just one man." It was drawn when many in Britain still were convinced that James Ussher's assertion that the earth was created at 9 A.M. on October 23, 4004 B.C was true. It is even more remarkable because Smith lived a wretched life. He was a simple, self-taught, country man with a very sick wife who went bankrupt and became homeless shortly after he finished the map. But both the industrial and agrarian revolutions were at hand. Smith's initial interest was sparked by the sea-urchin shaped stone used as a "pound" stone on English scales. He was hired as a surveyor's helper working in the coal mines in Somerset. Every time he went down he looked at what we would now call the stratigraphic column. "The pattern, Smith saw, was always the same, in mine after mine after mine: from top to bottom, Sandstone, Siltstone, Mudstone, Nonmarine Band, Marine Band, coal, Seat Earth, and then again Sandstone, Siltstone, Mudstone, on and on." He wondered whether there might not be a way of predicting what lay where and, indeed, a way of drawing a guide to what lay below. And because, in part, that he wondered about this he was selected to be the surveyor for the Somerset Canal, which, in effect, opened the earth to him. Once opened, he started comparing the facies at different places. He investigated two that were identical for all practical purposes, except that they had been deposited at different elevations, as much as hundreds of feet. The color, chemistry and grain size was identical, but the fossils were different: "Every single one of the specimens of one kind of fossil might be the same throughout one bed, but would be subtly different from those of the same kind of fossil found in another bed." The map followed. Smith saw a soil map in the County Agricultural Report showing"... the geographical extent of each of the various soils and types of vegetation that were known in the countryside around Bath. His first map and the oldest of true geological maps depicted the geology around Bath, published in 1799. He drew and dictated the stratigraphic column that was the basis of the map at a dinner with friends. That drawing is preserved by the Geological Society of London today.However, shortly thereafter, Smith was fired by the canal company for unknown reasons, found himself with too big of a mortgage and eventually ended up in debtor's prison. Winchester describes the English legal system in as great detail as he does the making of Smiths map. The details of the map and the friends who helped Smith with it are captivating and represent a great deal of scholarship and digging. Smith got it done, but his debts were not paid and so he ended up in jail. Upon his release he found employment with a William Fitton who eventually realized that he was the Smith who had prepared the map, which had become very well known although controversial. Eventually, Smith was recognized for the map he had prepared. If Winchester has left out any historical geologist of note in telling the heroic, tragic and then heroic again events of Smith's life, it is not readily apparent. Winchester is a felicitous writer who has told the life of one of the more interesting members of England's scientific community along with the side notes that reinforces the opprobrium that "there will always be an England."

William Smith is a long way from being a household name, but his work represented some of the most important geological investigations of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In "The Map That Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology," Simon Manchester tells the story of the unlikely hero of British canal surveyor and builder William Smith who realized that he could map the location of fossils and begin to deduce the nature of geology, the age of the Earth, the upheavals of ice ages and other formation events, and the manner in which the British Isles became the British Isles.Smith labored for decades on his map, laboriously treading the hinterlands of Britain mapping terrain, elevations, rock formations, and the like. In the end he produced the 1815 8.5- by 6-foot, hand-colored map entitled "A Delineation of the Strata of England and Wales." Others recognized it for it was, a masterpiece, but the bourgeois of the Geological Society of London refused to acknowledge his accomplishment and a cabal kept him from receiving the honors Smith believed were his due. Smith had the map's key discoveries stolen from him, he failed to realize the remuneration he hoped would accrue from its success, and he ended up in debtor's prison. As if that was not enough, a decade of hardship, homelessness, and other travail followed. Not until 1831, when Smith was 61 years old, did he receive veneration from the Geographical Society, and then gained a pension from King William IV to end his penuriousness.This book is a fine reading experience, and represents some of the best recent historical literary work of the past decade. The author, Benjamin Winchester, offers a compelling portrait of this individual and the map that he created, arguing that both represent the bedrock of the modern science of geology.Interestingly, this book helps to get to the complex question of the age of the Earth and counteracts the arguments being made for a young Earth using the dating scheme of Bishop Ussher limiting it to about 6,000 years. While advocates of young Earth creationism often argue that the dating of the Earth to millions of years of age were essentially arguments drawn up to buttress Darwinism, William Smith's activities at dating the age of the Earth and the development of the modern science of geology actually predate "On the Origin of Species by several decade. "The Map That Changed the World" documents how this came about in great detail and with a storyteller's flair for detail and narrative.There is no question but that William Manchester has captured the essence of a fascinating character in the history of science. But I must offer a caution, and this is the reason that I give this book four rather than five stars; this work is more a literary work than a sophisticated work in the history of science. If one is seeking an extensively documented, historiographically sophisticated exploration of the origins and development of the science of geology there are other books which engage the scholarly discourse. What this is, and it really doesn't pretend to be anything more than this, is an elegantly written, accessible recitation of a fascinating and important life and set of accomplishments. On that basis it is quite excellent. That is really quite a lot, but I would have liked more.

Simon Winchester is a masterful storyteller. This book reads like a novel, yet provides excellent research into an obscure, significant moment of history that impacts how the natural world is seen today. It provides relevant background and backstory to what William Smith produced. And how the travesties of class discrimination can eventually be overcome… the only frustration I had with this read was how the author invected himself into the story with his own story at times . This seemed to damage the continuity of the narrative for me. I would have preferred to read this as an epilogue rather than within the story of Smith… The foldout cross this hardcover makes this book a classic that I will keep on my shelves for years to com! Well Done!

having read several books by Alice Roberts and her contempories i bought this book not knowing what to expect. it turned out i was equally enthralled by the sheer volume of facts and details of strata included that i read it in a few evenings. woven into the details is a facinating life story of which i had no prior knowledge … great read and reference book.

A very well researched book on William Smith, the man who made the first geological map. Riveting reading for those interested in geology.

Not being from the geological background makes the terms and the concepts a bit difficult to understand but a really nice read in terms of the work and the dedication required to achieve success in science.

It was definetly a reading adventure - the story of how one mans obsession with strata and rocks and their relative positioning unravelled a whole new science and gave enough foothold for the likes of Alfred Wagner and Darwin to build their theories upon!Simon Winchesters writing makes it throughly enjoyable - the seed of the idea of drawing and catalagoing the netherworld, his growing obsession with it, the friendships he built, the opportunities he leveraged, the insights he garnered, the cold shoulders, penury, ostracisation and finally, redemption! It sure was a roller coaster of a life and thoroughly enjoyable.I wish there were more maps and images on the subjects he was talking abouit though. The whole narrative is very English and onw would need a walking visualisation to relate what he was talking about.

Bought for my wife who loves everything map related. It did not disappoint.I had the feeling of ‘being there’ with William Smith when his various journeys are described.