A modern Thoreau explores the mysteries of the universe in this deluxe
collector's boxed set.
To read Loren Eiseley (1907-1977) is to renew a sense of wonder at the
miracles and paradoxes of evolution and the ever-changing diversity of
life. At the height of a distinguished career as a "bone-hunter" and
paleontologist, Eiseley turned from fieldwork and scientific publication
to the personal essay in six remarkable books that are masterpieces of
prose style. Weaving together anecdote, philosophical reflection, and
keen observation with the soul and skill of a poet, Eiseley offers a
brilliant, companionable introduction to the sciences, paving the way
for writers like Carl Sagan, Stephen Jay Gould, and Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Now for the first time, the Library of America presents his landmark
essay collections in a definitive two-volume set.
Beginning with the surprise million-copy seller The Immense Journey
(1957), Eiseley produced an astonishing succession of books that won
acclaim both as science and as art. Here, for the first time in a single
collector's edition, are all of Eiseley's beloved, thought-provoking,
sometimes darkly lyrical essay collections, from The Immense Journey
to the posthumous The Star Thrower (1978). Eiseley's subjects are
wide-ranging, curious, and meticulously realized: the role of flowering
plants in evolution; a disturbing insect, seen in childhood; the
questions raised by a new fossil; a forgotten episode in the history of
science. Beginning with close observation and vivid detail, Eiseley is
fearless and imaginative in pursuit of the cosmological dimensions of
the phenomena he describes.
LIBRARY OF AMERICA is an independent nonprofit cultural organization
founded in 1979 to preserve our nation's literary heritage by
publishing, and keeping permanently in print, America's best and most
significant writing. The Library of America series includes more than
300 volumes to date, authoritative editions that average 1,000 pages in
length, feature cloth covers, sewn bindings, and ribbon markers, and are
printed on premium acid-free paper that will last for centuries.
