King of the 40th Parallel

James Gregory Moore

ISBN 10: 0804752230 / ISBN 13: 9780804752237

Published by Stanford University Press, US, 2006

About this Item

This book recounts the life and achievements of Clarence King, widely recognized as one of America's most gifted intellectuals of the nineteenth century, and a legendary figure in the American West. King's genius, singular accomplishments, and near-death adventures unfold in a narrative centered on his personal relationship with his lifelong friend and colleague, James Gardner. The two, upon completing their studies at Yale, traveled by wagon train across the continent and worked with the California Geological Survey. King went on to establish the Geological Exploration of the 40th Parallel, a government mapping program that stretched across the western mountain chains from California to Wyoming. This was the precursor to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Founded in 1879, with Clarence King as its architect and first director, the USGS became the most important and influential science agency in the nation. The adventurous aspects of conducting geological fieldwork in the West, much of them documented by letters written by King and Gardner, punctuate a book copiously illustrated with historic maps and photographs showing localities and people important to the story.

Seller Inventory # LU-9780804752237

Bibliographic Details

• Title: King of the 40th Parallel
• Publisher: Stanford University Press, US
• Publication Date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0804752230
• ISBN 13: 9780804752237
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New
• Weight: 721 grams

About this title

Synopsis

This book recounts the life and achievements of Clarence King, widely recognized as one of America’s most gifted intellectuals of the nineteenth century, and a legendary figure in the American West. King’s genius, singular accomplishments, and near-death adventures unfold in a narrative centered on his personal relationship with his lifelong friend and colleague, James Gardner. The two, upon completing their studies at Yale, traveled by wagon train across the continent and worked with the California Geological Survey. King went on to establish the Geological Exploration of the 40th Parallel, a government mapping program that stretched across the western mountain chains from California to Wyoming. This was the precursor to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Founded in 1879, with Clarence King as its architect and first director, the USGS became the most important and influential science agency in the nation. The adventurous aspects of conducting geological fieldwork in the West, much of them documented by letters written by King and Gardner, punctuate a book copiously illustrated with historic maps and photographs showing localities and people important to the story.

About the Author

James Gregory Moore is Senior Research Geologist Emeritus with the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, California. He is the author of more than two hundred scientific papers and four books, including Exploring the Highest Sierra (Stanford University Press, 2000).