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Creation stories are the foundation of human identity. Over the
last century science has discovered a dramatic new creation story,
a universe that began with a Big Bang and that has evolved into
extraordinary order, into galaxies, planets, life, and brains. This
new creation story gives human life many new meanings. Our bodies
embody all of cosmic evolution. In us the chaotic energies of the
Big Bang are now weaving cells; in us a spiral galaxy has become
spiral DNA; through us a blind universe can recognize itself at
last.
With a deep sense of wonder, with the personal, poetic style of
literary nature writing, Starchild explores the Big Bang cosmos,
and the lives of the people who discovered it. Starchild turns
facts and abstract theories into something real, personal, and
powerful; it turns ideas into identity. When seen in the context of
an immense, evolving cosmos, life becomes a rare gift. Starchild
celebrates the universe's long journey into life.
"I love your writing. How wonderful it is to have imagination and
to see into the past. You are a very talented writer and I am sure
your probings into the universe bring you great joy. "Fireflies" is
beautiful. I have underlined so many passages I especially liked
that it is practically all underlined. I am sure that Dr. Eiseley
would have been delighted."
Caroline Werkley, longtime assistant to Loren Eiseley
"Beautiful. It used to be the style for poets to write
knowledgeably about science, relating it to humans and the human
condition. I am thinking of Lucretius and Milton. I doubt that
people will care much about science unless people like you relate
it as you have done. I am grateful."
Robert R. Wilson, founding director of Fermilab, on the chapter
"The Particle Accelerator"
There are times when nations are no longer sure of what they are
and what their purpose is, and for America 2004 was such a time.
For 200 years America was the hope and role model of the democratic
world, but now America is failing in this role. The national
myths-the stories, heroes, self-images, and social values-that have
guided America from the beginning are now misleading and failing
us. Our heroic self-image tricked us into disasters in Vietnam and
Iraq. Our frontier experience has left us refusing to face
environmental limits. Our individualistic values have left us
unwilling to care about one another as a people. Basic questions of
national identity ran strong in the 2004 presidential campaign.
"Mything in Action" uses the campaign to explore America's guiding
myths in action in the most iconic places in the American
imagination: Lexington and Concord on the 4th of July, Hollywood,
Beverly Hills, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, a Mark Twain riverboat
town, a Wild West town, and John Wayne's hometown. "Mything in
Action" is a unique, literary exploration of American history,
culture, and politics, offering a deeper analysis of America's
difficulties than the usual partisan polemics.
John Wesley Powell's 1869 expedition down the Green and Colorado
Rivers and through the Grand Canyon continues to be one of the most
celebrated adventures in American history, ranking with the Lewis
and Clark expedition and the Apollo landings on the moon. For
nearly twenty years Lago has researched the Powell expedition from
new angles, traveled to thirteen states, and looked into archives
and other sources no one else has searched. He has come up with
many important new documents that change and expand our basic
understanding of the expedition by looking into Powell's
crewmembers, some of whom have been almost entirely ignored by
Powell historians. Historians tended to assume that Powell was the
whole story and that his crewmembers were irrelevant. More
seriously, because several crew members made critical comments
about Powell and his leadership, historians who admired Powell were
eager to ignore and discredit them. Lago offers a feast of new and
important material about the river trip, and it will significantly
rewrite the story of Powell's famous expedition. This book is not
only a major work on the Powell expedition, but on the history of
American exploration of the West.
The landscapes of the American Southwest-the Grand Canyon, Monument
Valley, the Sedona red rocks-have long filled humans with wonder
about nature. This is the home of Lowell Observatory, where
astronomers first discovered evidence that the universe is
expanding; Meteor Crater, where Apollo astronauts trained for the
moon; and Native American tribes with their own ancient, rich ways
of relating to the cosmos. With the personal, poetic style of the
very best literary nature writing, Don Lago explores how these
landscapes have offered humans a deeper sense of connection with
the universe. While most nature writing never leaves the ground,
Lago is one of the few writers who has applied it to the universe,
seeking ties between humans and the astronomical forces that gave
us birth. Nowhere else in the world is the link between earth and
sky so powerful. Lago witnesses a solar eclipse over the Grand
Canyon, climbs primeval volcanos, and sees the universe in tree
rings. Through ageless Native American ceremonies, modern
telescopes, and even dreams of flying saucers, Lago, who is not
only a poet but a true philosopher of science, strives to find
order and meaning in the world and brings out the Southwest's
beauty and mystery.
The Grand Canyon has long inspired deep emotions and responses. For
the Native Americans who lived there, the canyon was home, full of
sacred meanings. For the first European settlers to see it, the
canyon drove them to great exploration adventures and Wild West
dreams of wealth. The canyon also held deep importance for
America's pioneer conservationists such as Teddy Roosevelt, John
Muir, and Aldo Leopold, and it played a central role in the
emerging environmental movement. The Grand Canyon became a
microcosm of the history and evolving values of the National Park
Service, long conflicted between encouraging tourism and protecting
nature. Many vivid characters shaped the canyon's past. Its largest
story is one of cultural history and changing American visions of
the land. Grand Canyon: A History of a Natural Wonder and National
Park is a mixture of great storytelling, unlikely characters, and
important ideas. The book will appeal to both general readers and
scholars interested in seeking a broader understanding of the
canyon.
The landscapes of the American Southwest - the Grand Canyon,
Monument Valley, the Sedona red rocks - have long filled humans
with wonder about nature. This is the home of Lowell Observatory,
where astronomers first discovered evidence that the universe is
expanding; Meteor Crater, where Apollo astronauts trained for the
moon; and Native American tribes with their own ancient, rich ways
of relating to the cosmos. With the personal, poetic style of the
very best literary nature writing, Don Lago explores how these
landscapes have offered humans a deeper sense of connection with
the universe. While most nature writing never leaves the ground,
Lago is one of the few writers who has applied it to the universe,
seeking ties between humans and the astronomical forces that gave
us birth. Nowhere else in the world is the link between earth and
sky so powerful. Lago witnesses a solar eclipse over the Grand
Canyon, climbs primeval volcanos, and sees the universe in tree
rings. Through ageless Native American ceremonies, modern
telescopes, and even dreams of flying saucers, Lago, who is not
only a poet but a true philosopher of science, strives to find
order and meaning in the world and brings out the Southwest's
beauty and mystery.
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