Annals of the Former World is the result of a 20-year journey. During that time, John McPhee, author of 25 books and noted writer for the New Yorker, crisscrossed the United States, roughly following the 40th parallel. The geological insights and wonderful descriptions McPhee packed into his accounts of these trips earned his remarkable book a Pulitzer Prize.

The third part, Rising from the Plains, takes McPhee to the high country of Utah along the Continental Divide. His guide is David Love, “the grand old man of Rocky Mountain geology.” Helping McPhee see the physical changes that have shaped this region over millions of years, Love also traces his own family’s history in this oil-rich, windswept land.

As McPhee climbs into the granite landscape of the Rockies, Rising from the Plains creates a fascinating picture of the interdependence of geology, commerce, and culture.