The World Before the Deluge

A sweeping popular-science account traces Earth's development from an initial gaseous state through condensation, igneous and metamorphic activity, and the stratified succession of sedimentary epochs. It explains rock types and volcanic processes, then follows successive geological periods—detailing marine and terrestrial faunas, coal formation, and climatic shifts—using fossils, footprints, and petrified droppings as evidence. Later chapters cover the most recent glacial and post-glacial changes, catastrophic inundations, and the emergence of humans, illustrated by diagrams and reconstructions that combine paleontology, stratigraphy, and accessible geological theory.