Product Description

"A gleeful, poetic book…. Like the best natural histories, Dirt is a kind of prayer."—Los Angeles Times Book Review

"You are about to read a lot about dirt, which no one knows very much about." So begins the cult classic that brings mystery and magic to "that stuff that won't come off your collar."

John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Saint Phocas, Darwin, and Virgil parade through this thought-provoking work, taking their place next to the dung beetle, the compost heap, dowsing, historical farming, and the microscopic biota that till the soil. With fresh eyes and heartfelt reverence, William Bryant Logan variously observes, "There is glamour to the study of rock"; "The most mysterious place on Earth is right beneath our feet"; and "Dirt is the gift of each to all."

Whether Logan is traversing the far reaches of the cosmos or plowing through our planet's crust, his delightful, elegant, and surprisingly soulful meditations greatly enrich our concept of "dirt," that substance from which we all arise and to which we all must return.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #58659 in Books
• Published on: 2006-11-06
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

From Publishers Weekly
In these brief, elegant essays, the author raises the concept of dirt to new levels. Logan, a monthly columnist for the New York Times, looks at soil formation and development. His topics range from quarries and the foundations of cathedrals to graveyards and earthworms, from husbandry in ancient Rome to composting in Florida. Logan pays tribute to the dung beetle as a symbol of renewal; he notes that dirt is the source of many drugs that work against infectious diseases (penicillin, streptomycin). He discusses the many forms of clay and the agricultural practices of John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and the Iroquois. Dirt is a natural history of the soil and our connection with it.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author
William Bryant Logan is a certified arborist and Quill & Trowel Award-winning writer. He previously wrote "Cuttings," a New York Times column, and contributed to numerous gardening magazines. He lives in New York City.

Customer Reviews

A Dark Gem of a Book
A well-written and researched tribute to the mysterious medium that provides the foundation for life on earth. A series of short stories that paint a colorful picture of how soil evolved with the earth.

up and clean
certainly not "DOWN AND DIRTY". highly recommended, very informative

and it makes one appreciative of the earth (dirt)...

Exciting and Provocative!
A galaxy of stars! Dirt is unique, unlike any other book I've read. (Bill Logan tends to write books like that -- his new one, Oak: The Frame of Civilization, is also unlike anything I've read, including Dirt.) The essay format works well. Logan's writing is cogent, witty, at times poignant; his imagination is fantastic. Rousing and satisfying my curiosity, he asks intriguing questions, and in seeking answers follows paths I would not have thought of but am glad to be led down by such a brilliant, quirky, earthy guide. Technicalities of soil science and geology are illuminated by personal experience and reflection on spirituality, childhood dreams Ilike digging to China), and encounters with masters of human achievement. This book may be ten years old but it's still exciting and provocative. I'm pleased to hear it is to be the subject of a documentary film; I hope that will lead to a reprint of this book, which is long overdue.