The Man Who Found Time: James Hutton and the Discovery of Earth's Antiquity.

JACK REPCHECK

Although widely regarded as the father of modern geology, James Hutton is hardly a household name. As Repcheck deftly explains, this Scottish farmer had proof in 1788 that Earth was far older than 6,000 years, as claimed in the Bible, but he struggled to convey his ideas to scientists and the public. Hutton understood that Earth constantly restores itself through the forces of wind and rain, tides and waves, and volcanoes and earthquakes, but his magnum opus, The Theory of Earth, was nearly impenetrable. His ideas eventually prevailed in the salons and social clubs of 18th-century Scotland when Charles Lyell elaborated on Hutton's theories. Repcheck believes that Hutton should be remembered in the company of Charles Darwin, Copernicus, and Galileo as a brilliant man who separated science from the religious orthodoxy of his time. Perseus Publng, 2003, 247 p., hardcover, $26.00.