The paperback of the Sunday Times bestseller that reveals how the earth became the shape it is today. This book will change the way you see the world -- permanently. The face of the earth criss-crossed by chains of mountains like the scars of old wounds has changed constantly over billions of years. Its shape records a remote past of earthquakes volcanos & continental drift & the ongoing subtle shifts that bring our planet alive. Richard Fortey introduces us to the earths distinct character revealing the life that it leads when humans arent watching. He follows the continual movement of seabeds valleys mountain ranges & ice caps & shows how everything -- our culture natural history even the formation of our cities -- has its roots in geology. In Richard Forteys hands geology becomes vital & exhilarating & unmistakably informs our lives in the most intimate way.