What do you think?
Rate this book
Beginnings: Earth, Sky, Life, Death
A combination & revision of Beginnings of Earth & Sky by Sophia L. Fahs & Beginnings of Life & Death, by Sophia L. Fahs & Dorothy T. Spoerl.
217 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1958
8 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 9, 2021
What a sweet book! I picked it up from a used bookstore because I love origin stories, but I had no idea the surprise waiting for me at the end was going to be our scientific origin story!
I loved that each cultural origin story began with a small description of the culture from which it came. I also appreciated the pronunciation guides. However, my favorite bit ended up being the scientific portion of the book. The writing in that section just felt tender and awe-filled in a humble way.
I also loved that, even when the science was a little out dated, I got a little thrill knowing what discoveries were coming down the line and knowing that some of the blanks acknowledged here would be filled in the future. I like imagining the author’s excitement when, about a year after the book was published, man really did land on the moon. And that we have found fossils filling in the gaps between water and land-living creatures in the years between 1968 and now.
The overall timeline of life’s development was one of the most clear descriptions I’ve read, and now I know about volvox, which I think are pretty cool!
I loved that each cultural origin story began with a small description of the culture from which it came. I also appreciated the pronunciation guides. However, my favorite bit ended up being the scientific portion of the book. The writing in that section just felt tender and awe-filled in a humble way.
I also loved that, even when the science was a little out dated, I got a little thrill knowing what discoveries were coming down the line and knowing that some of the blanks acknowledged here would be filled in the future. I like imagining the author’s excitement when, about a year after the book was published, man really did land on the moon. And that we have found fossils filling in the gaps between water and land-living creatures in the years between 1968 and now.
The overall timeline of life’s development was one of the most clear descriptions I’ve read, and now I know about volvox, which I think are pretty cool!
Displaying 1 of 1 review