North Pole, South Pole: The Epic Quest to Solve the Great Mystery of Earth's Magnetism

Turner has a way of turning science history and philosophy of science into a fascinating story of human development. It is an "I can't put this down" read.

This rather exhaustive review of the study of planetary magnetism is scholarly and worth reading. It contains just over 20% tables definitions and cast of characters lists, that are largely unneeded. The author does a more than adequate job of describing and introducing all elements within the text. For me it is just fluff used to plump up the book to a more respectable size. The author's passion for the subject is very apparent but is in some ways given less impact than a different editor may have been able to draw out. The subject is interesting, the science still somewhat incomplete, the scientists involved are complicated characters in their own rights.I paid full retail for this book and feel well compensated for my toils to earn the opportunity to read it. I have and will recommend this book to many curious friends and acquaintances.

Noun, year 16XX met noun, 17XX, met noun, 18XX, met noun, 19XX, noun, 19XX, noun, noun.. noun... noun... where's the magnets??The front end of the book, when it's conceptual, is amazing. Around 1600s though, it becomes"Bob, born 16XX, met Fred, born 16XX in a coffee shop in London in 17XX, talked about magnets with Henry born 16XX, passed it on to Jeb born 17XX---" and a lot lot less about what Bob and Fred and Henry were talking about. And it gets worse as the dates become more exact. "Sam Leon Abe John James at University got a grant from Steve to use Computer made by Eliot to "oh look, a relevant magnet picture", in Massachusetts on a road built by Heinrich. I exaggerate... but not really.About halfway through the book, I pulled out a piece of paper and wrote down each random noun to see how they were connected, (many weren't. Many but not all were mentioned once and never spoken of again) and then having that to reference, then it... made me want to find totally different books on the same subject because the topic is awesome. And it's not that scientists don't deserve credit, it's how this book strung them together.

This book follows a historical timeline to explain how the current view of the source of Earth's magnetic field came about. I really enjoyed the first half of the book for weaving together the contributions of so many big names in science, and how they made contributions to this field and others. The initial problem statement of needing to explain the Earth's magnetic field comes from explorers seeing the effects of declination, and their measurements varying with time was a very interesting perspective. I also had a very fundamental curiosity about why compass needles need to be balanced for the Northern vs Southern hemispheres, and what mechanics were involved in generating the flip of the polarity of Earth's magnetic field. Both of these questions were answered in the book.If the book has any fault, I think that that the final chapters felt a bit rushed, and that we would benefit from some further explanation, especially as the scientists get to computer modelling in the early 1990's. In general, I thought the book was very entertaining, engaging and informative. I'm off to order another copy for my Dad for Father's Day.

North Pole South Pole: The Epic Quest to Solve the Great Mystery of Earth's Magnetism is a very well researched and written historical account. Ramifications of the research are clearly presented and the reader is lead by eager expectation of what will be presented next. Anecdotes of researchers lives lighten the reading and difficult mathematical concepts are presented in a casual manner without equations so that readers can easily go and look up the detailed maths involved if they are so inspired. The book leads into the subject of plate tectonics which itself is a whole other story. As a creationist, this reviewer is dissapointed that it does not discuss free decay models of the earths magnetic field and that it assumes that radio-isotopic dating ramifications on the field of the earth are not questionable, however, it will be exceptionally valuable to any creationist wishing to study the subject. Anyone studying physics or geology should read this book to help them convey their studies to a wider audience in a captivating manner.

The subject is timely, given the recent acceleration of the magnetic declination. Dr. Turner presents the history of geomagnetic research clearly and succinctly. She has an accessible style and defines terminology without getting lost in jargon.The downside seems to be that the answers to the questions regarding Earth's magnetic field have yet to yield to scientific scrutiny. We have good theories, but no firm answers yet.This is a thoroughly enjoyable book.

I really enjoyed this book. I am a retired physicist having taught for thirty years. I wish I had had the resources of knowing the personal details of all the principals in this story. An impressive job of research and an even better job of telling the story. And the mysteries continue. Why has the sun forsaken its eleven year cycle, and when will the earth burden us with its next field reversal? The book tells us that reversals take around ten thousand years to complete. During that time, we expect that cosmic rays will cause untold genetic disruption. Nevertheless the book itself is a welcome addition to the conversation. Well done.

I enjoyed this book discussing the mystery of Earth's magnetism. It sounded like a memoir of my early career as a Geologist. I was particularly interested in the development and importance of Magnetism to the Theory of Plate Tectonics.; in fact, I was unaware of some of the contributors to that revolution. I kept seeing an old friend and hero of the science looking sad and telling me, "Someday, they will drill through the oceanic basalt and find the real history." He was a great geologist in his day.

great present

Gillian Turner's book describes the development of the study of the Earth's magnetic field, from the discovery of magnetic rocks to the Space Age. Her attention to detail and her vivid descriptions of the people who made the discoveries are a great read. I was personally involved in the study of the earth's magnetic field and can attest to the correctness of her information.