This anthology pays tribute to the awe-inspiring diversity of planet Earth, with contributions from: Vikram Seth, Michael Ondaatje, Mark Twain, Pablo Neruda, Langston Hughes, and many more, including excerpts from the field of both classical and cutting edge geology. This book will appeal to both the general reader and the professional geologist. "Bedrock" is a remarkable collection of fiction, poetry and geological essays that pay tribute to the boundless beauty and amazing power of our Earth. The book is organised into sections on rock, sand, earthquakes, rivers, deserts and much more beyond, emphasising the diversity to be found on Earth. Classical heavy weights sit beside young new writers, offering varied perspectives on the wonders of geology. First hand accounts describe specific earthquakes and volcanic erruptions that have left a permanent mark on the face of history, while contributors also cover subjects such as the patterns that are found in stone and the movement of rivers. This book will appeal to both the general reader as an introduction to geology and as a source of inspiration - it will also appeal to the expert as a welcome, if unnecessary, reminder of the beauty and power to be found within the exploration of our planets foundations.

From African American to Asian American, indigenous to immigrant, "multiracial" to "mixedblood," the diversity of cultures in this world is matched only by the diversity of stories explaining our cultural origins: stories of creation and destruction, displacement and heartbreak, hope and mystery. With writing from Jamaica Kincaid on the fallacies of national myths, Yusef Komunyakaa connecting the toxic legacy of his hometown, Bogalusa, LA, to a blind faith in capitalism, and bell hooks relating the quashing of multiculturalism to the destruction of nature that is considered "unpredictable" -- amongst more than 35 other examinations of the relationship between culture and nature -- this collection points toward the trouble of ignoring our cultural heritage, but also reveals how opening our eyes and our minds might provide a more livable future. "The Colors of Nature" comes in four alternating-color covers: red, yellow, green, and blue.