Tertiary History of the Grand Canyon District

Originally published in 1882 Clarence Duttons Tertiary History of the Grand Caon District has become one of the definitive books on the Grand Canyon. Commissioned as a study of the regions geology and issued by the fledgling U.S. Geological Survey it is as much admired today for its literary as its scientific merits. With its beautiful illustrations by Thomas Moran and William Henry Holmes it is a seminal work on the Canyon that has never been surpassed for its eloquence and authority. This new edition of Duttons magnum opus makes that work available once again. Visitors to the Canyon will gain a new appreciation of its majesty as Dutton takes readers on several excursions among its castellated and cathedral-like peaks and ridges. Along the way he explains the peculiar characteristics of different rocks the water-sculpturing process volcanic cones and outflows the extent of the rivers erosion and other geological features. Duttons Tertiary History remains arguably the most evocative and compelling geological writing ever done on the Grand Canyon region. As Stephen J. Pyne observes in his foreword Dutton recast a rocky peninsula into geo-poetry reshaped an amorphous panorama of Time into narrative History and transformed an American scene into a universal symbol. No one who has thrilled to the majesty of the Grand Canyon will fail to be moved by this timeless work.