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About the author
Born in 1907 in Lincoln, Nebraska, Loren Eiseley received his Masters and PhD in Anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania, where he later earned the title of Benjamin Franklin Professor of Anthropology and History of Science. In addition to his academic writing, Eisely is the author of nine notable essay collections that presented science to the public with poetic prowess and mass-market appeal. His first book,The Immense Journey, sold over a million copies and has been published in 16 languages. He was the recipient of the Phi Beta Kappa prize for best book in science, the John Burroughs Medal for nature writing, awards from the Boston Museum of Science and the Humane Society, as well as 36 honorary degrees. He died in 1977 at the age of 70.
Summary
"[Loren Eiseley] is every writer's writer, and every human's human ... One of us, yet most uncommon." - Ray Bradbury
Drawing from his long experience as a naturalist, anthropologist, and philosopher, The Unexpected Universe features Loren Eiseley's best essays on the natural world and the human condition. A nonpareil storyteller, Eisley shockingly reframes the symbols of our universe and investigates our very instinct to bear meaning upon them. Scrupulous scholarship and magical prose are administered to such diverse topics as seeds, the hieroglyphs on shells, mythic lost tombs, the goddess Circe, and our Neanderthal ancestors. An undeniable masterpiece, The Unexpected Universe is a standout in both the canon of essays and nature writing, and has forever changed the outlook of all who read it.
