A Little History of the Earth

A Little History of the Earth offers a lively account of the planet’s story from its earliest origins to the present day, organized around major geological changes and scientific breakthroughs. Jamie Woodward follows over four and a half billion years of Earth history—from the formation of the Solar System and the evolution of the atmosphere and oceans to the first signs of life, the age of dinosaurs, the rise of mammals, and the arrival of humans—culminating in the Anthropocene. Woodward highlights the scientists who study rocks, fossils, and landscapes and the major discoveries that reshaped our understanding. Drawing on evidence from ancient fossils to the composition of the air we breathe, the book traces the sequence of events and the evolving methods that have revealed Earth’s deep past.