Endless Novelties of Extraordinary In..., Doug Macdougall
Endless Novelties of Extraordinary In..., Doug Macdougall
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Endless Novelties of Extraordinary Interest
The Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger and the Birth of Modern Oceanography

Author: Doug Macdougall

Narrator: Sean Runnette

Unabridged: 8 hr 56 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 08/20/2019

Synopsis

A gripping tale of exploration aboard H.M.S. Challenger, an expedition that laid the foundations for modern oceanography.

From late 1872 to 1876, H.M.S. Challenger explored the world's oceans. Conducting deep sea soundings, dredging the ocean floor, recording temperatures, observing weather, and collecting biological samples, the expedition laid the foundations for modern oceanography. Following the ship's naturalists and their discoveries, earth scientist Doug Macdougall engagingly tells a story of Victorian-era adventure and ties these early explorations to the growth of modern scientific fields.

In this lively story of adventure, hardship, and humor, Macdougall examines the work of the expedition's scientists, especially the naturalist Henry Moseley, who rigorously categorized the flora and fauna of the islands the ship visited, and the legacy of John Murray, considered the father of modern oceanography. Macdougall explores not just the expedition itself but also the iconic place that H.M.S. Challenger has achieved in the annals of ocean exploration and science.

About Doug Macdougall

Doug Macdougall is emeritus professor of earth sciences at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. He is the author of several books, including Why Geology Matters: Decoding the Past, Anticipating the Future.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Valerie

Wonderfully written. It shows what must've been very meticulous research into Challenger's logs and publications on their discoveries. All of extraordinary interest, indeed! As a geology student and aspiring oceanographer, this retelling of Challenger's voyage has reawakened my sense of wonder. I on......more

Goodreads review by Martin

Wow! I've just finished reading this book and I really enjoyed it in so many different ways. The Challenger Expedition was a great adventure & achievement in its own right, but Doug MacDougall's account is a masterpiece. Well researched & brilliantly written, it talks not only about the journey itsel......more

Goodreads review by Christopher

I had a hard time with this book. Most of what I read in this time period or earlier is written linearly by Royal Navy officers following a chronological time line. This book jumps around a lot. I'm making an assumption here but I felt like the writer is a natural scientist rather than a historian. T......more

Goodreads review by Holly

This isn't a linear tale of H.M.S. Challenger's voyage. Rather, it weaves the story of the voyage with explanations of how the discoveries that were made, and the new questions that arose as a result, lead to further advances and investigations in oceanography that are still being felt in modern tim......more

Goodreads review by Rose

An interesting read about the important Challenger voyage. This book awakened the little girl in me who would spend hours looking at pictures of wild sea creatures and who wanted to be a marine biologist when she grew up. I learned about fantastic things with great names like "cosmic spherules", "gl......more

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