Biography of a Planet: Geology, Astronomy, and the Evolution of Life on Earth

by Chet Raymo

Describes the physical history of earth and discusses the origins and development of plant and animal life

176 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1984

About the author

Chet Raymo (born September 17, 1936 in Chattanooga, Tennessee) is a noted writer, educator and naturalist. He is Professor Emeritus of Physics at Stonehill College, in Easton, Massachusetts. His weekly newspaper column Science Musings appeared in the Boston Globe for twenty years, and his musings can still be read online at www.sciencemusings.com.

His most famous book was the novel entitled The Dork of Cork, and was made into the feature length film Frankie Starlight. Raymo is also the author of Walking Zero, a scientific and historical account of his wanderings along the Prime Meridian in Great Britain.

Raymo was the recipient of the 1998 Lannan Literary Award for his Nonfiction work.

Reviews

[Chris Gager · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure this was the book I semi-read about 4 years ago. That one was annoying to the point of infuriating in the way it was written. Juvenile... So, I don't want to defame this book if it's not the one. The title certainly covers the subject I'd been looking for: a simple overview of the origins and evolution of Planet Earth. The style of the one I got from the library was chatty, overly informal and colloquial, as if to entice young slackers to read it. But also needlessly technical at times. All I wanted was a straightforward accounting. I remember thinking at the time that if I'd been the publisher I'd have told him to cut the crap(literally)and write like an adult. Date read is a guess.