Panda's Thumb: More Reflections in Natural History

"Gould is a natural writer; he has something to say and the inclination and skill with which to say it."—P. B. Medawar, New York Review of Books

With his controversial opinions and larger-than-life personality, Stephen Jay Gould did for evolutionary biology what Carl Sagan did for astronomy. The Harvard paleontologist's ideas lit a spark within the scientific community, but his bestselling works also managed to engage the wider public. Through his readable and provocative works, Gould garnered acclaim as an author who could write intelligently -- and intelligibly -- about some of his field s most arcane issues and questions.