DINOSAUR IN A HAYSTACK

On a peripatetic journey from Tennyson to Poe, Gould discusses grief, and math, and more. Gould claims that his essays from NATURAL HISTORY magazine achieve the successful strategy of an essay: “the marriage of alluring detail with instructive generality.” He professes to write for both a lay and specialized audience, claiming that most scientific writing from Galileo to Darwin was presented for a general readership. The writer’s prodigious vocabulary and poetic interludes provide ample material for Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.’s, vocal and theatrical talent. Women will enjoy Gould’s chronicle of the advancement of women in science. The subjects and their diversity will provide grist for any mental mill. J.A.H. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/NOV 00]