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Loren C. Eiseley
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The Immense Journey: An Imaginative Naturalist Explores the Mysteries of Man and Nature Mass Market Paperback – January 12, 1959

by Loren Eiseley (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 277 ratings
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Anthropologist and naturalist Loren Eiseley blends scientific knowledge and imaginative vision in this story of man.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    224 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Vintage
  4. Publication date
    January 12, 1959
  5. Dimensions
    4.3 x 0.6 x 6.7 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0394701577
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0394701578
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

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st and naturalist Loren Eiseley blends scientific knowledge and imaginative vision in this story of man.

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Anthropologist and naturalist Loren Eiseley blends scientific knowledge and imaginative vision in this story of man.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage (January 12, 1959)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0394701577
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0394701578
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.3 x 0.6 x 6.7 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 277 ratings

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Loren C. Eiseley

Loren C. Eiseley

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
277 global ratings
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2 Stars
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I got this book as a gift for a friend and when it arrived the front cover cracked off like a chip! When I tried to get a refund, I was told I would have to exchange the book (which would take another week - time I didn’t have at the moment). Honestly poor quality is poor quality. And something should have been said or done before/after the purchase.
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Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars I was touched and amazed by "The Star Thrower" as well - and his ...
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2016
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Loren Eiseleys' are timeless works of literary genius and profound scientific revelation, and "The Immense Journey" his first published work, is no exception. His works are based on many lifetimes of scientific research- including his own - and extraordinary personal field work requiring much sacrifice. I was touched and amazed by "The Star Thrower" as well - and his own autobiography "All the Strange Hours". I would like to believe that if he was still alive today he would be thrilled with all the new scientific discoveries revealing our intimate relationship to both earth and cosmos, and linking mankind as wisely and compassionately as he did with other species in the web of life. He would have been astounded and overjoyed by the character and individuality of Koko the gorilla as well - who gives all of us as humans greater hope and optimism in regards to our own species.
10 people found this helpful
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5.0 out of 5 stars The Journey
Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2022
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Although a bit dated, Eiseley's musings on evolution are still a wonderfully imagined and still relevant view of the scientific process.
2 people found this helpful
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Tender Foot
5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful book
Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2011
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It's reassuring to know that such imaginative scientists are at work. Eiseley is wonderfully observant of the world of nature around him and clear, specific and descriptive about his experience within it. He has a fine sensitivity to the vastness of space, the eons of time, the multitude of species and our human speculations about our place within this world. Eiseley compares and comments on the growing understanding of evolution by the scientific community--until 1957 when he wrote this. Some readers may find it dated; the richness of The Immense Journey doesn't depend, however, on timeliness--it is timeless. Eiseley is really coaching us on how to see and experience the myriad life around us, how to follow the secrets of the natural world in order to appreciate our own life. His three stories about his experiences with birds are worth the price of the book. The last chapter is titled "The Secret of Life"--I won't spoil your enjoyment by giving it away!
12 people found this helpful
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Thomas Wikman
4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful but outdated
Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2020
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The Immense Journey is a collection of natural history essays written in a lyrical prose. The author explains several concepts and ideas related to the theory of evolution in a simple and beautiful language. He gives an overview of natural history while musing on man's place in nature. Towards the end his story telling becomes increasingly philosophical and spiritual and I found the book to be ponderous. This is an example of his writing "The Eden of the eternal present that the animal world had known for ages was shattered at last. Through the human mind, time and darkness, good and evil, would enter and possess the world".

However, the last essay was written in 1957 and the book is obviously outdated. He is referring to the dinosaurs as cold blooded slow reptiles, he gets the timing of the ice ages quite wrong, and much less was known about human evolution back then. We know now that the "Boskopoids" were most likely not a separate super-smart humanoid species but selected larger modern man skulls. I may be pedantic, but I think I would have enjoyed this book more if it had been written more recently.
15 people found this helpful
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Thomas Ducibella
5.0 out of 5 stars Origin and fate of human race
Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2021
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Eiseley takes us on a philosophical journey (backed up by human anthropology) of our origins and capability to control our own fate (and, perhaps, even evolution). His emphasis is on sensitivity to our uniqueness amongst animals and how its characteristics influence our positive and negative contributions to life on earth. Eiseley is a gifted writer who combines science with poetic metaphors about human nature. In this era of climate change and pandemic, it is a must read or re-read. Simply put, this book is about the biggest picture of them all. (fyi: Eiseley is a world recognized expert in anthropology and the history of science.)
8 people found this helpful
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dellamayc
5.0 out of 5 stars An expression of wonder
Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2016
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An exquisite journey through time. No pontificating with certainties and theories unproven, but an examination of the what if and imagining based on known factors. Looking at plausible origins of man and confronting the true mystery at the core of it all. I have studied many volumes on Biology Anthropology, paleontology etc and this one with no absolutes is by far the best. It explores the context of life and development without being dogmatic and attempting to define the undefinable. Inspiring and I will read it again to ponder some of the thoughts expressed. Preferably on a lonely beach or a deserted desert . Read it and you will understand that remark.
22 people found this helpful
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Adam Flanders
5.0 out of 5 stars A Perfect Balance of Biology and Poetry
Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2014
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Ever since reading the short Star Thrower story by Loren Eiseley, I've had his full books on my reading list. I definitely was not disappointed with The Immense Journey. Eiseley brings an incredible poetry and unique perspective to biological concepts, specifically evolution in this book. As far as I'm concerned, Eiseley is the Carl Sagan of biology. I hold a bachelor of biology degree and although some of the scientific thought in this book is a bit outdated, most of the writing is still valid because it offers a general statement about our species' very recent arrival in a very long history. After reading this book, I think you'll question what it means to be human, how we got here, and what may lie ahead.
8 people found this helpful
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William S Jamison
5.0 out of 5 stars Raven in the Fog
Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2012
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This might be old science-wize but the main reason to read it is to appreciate the art of good science writing. Poetry practically merges with the prose to make this book an enjoyable reading experience. Funny to note his prediction that eventually rockets will go up and not fall back down. Also interesting is the historical interest in the growth of knowledge about the history of man and how this tied in to arguments over Darwinism that for the most part are no longer an issue, or how we might look in the future when we are more highly evolved. But what I most enjoyed on this reading was his engagement with the Raven in the fog and continuing reaction of the Raven to him afterwards. What is the immense journey?
9 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Don Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars Eiseley is amazing
Reviewed in Canada on December 2, 2011
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I had never heard of Lorne Eiseley until Thomas Berry in some old video lectures started mentioning him as someone who had the same depth of connection with Nature as Thoreau and others.

Some of his thinking about how arrogant humans are insofar as having the world "under control" and "all figured out" is brilliant.

Recommended.
One person found this helpful
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David Nevin
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent. Mand blowing
Reviewed in Spain on March 19, 2013
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A fabulous introduction to the mindset of of a very intelligent word smith. Topics are though provoking and stretch the imagination into areas where previously a blanket of science was required to understand the concepts presented. A genuine find which has opened up a whole new area of interest for me.
One person found this helpful
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Berstyn Fyr
5.0 out of 5 stars A Vision of Man's place
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 10, 2011
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I encountered Loren Eiseley quite by accident. I was bored and hunting through my dad's bookcase in my late teens and pulling this book out of the shelf initially loved the cover with the soaring wings of the bird and smoky blue clouds. As soon as I had read the opening chapter about floating downriver and entering a sort of whirlpool of poetic experience I felt at once very alone and also very connected. If he feels like this, then it is not all lost. Easy to say with hindsight but reading this book did change my perception of 'science' writing and to this day I read at least one of his books every year as I find comfort in his vision however dark it is. The layers of wonder are beautifully expressed and the great sad weight of the real world squeeze a poignancy out of every page. As a writer, Eiseley is really a poet. Someone who is able to look askance at life and feel more at home with a prehistoric bone in the mouth of his dog than in the campus of the university where he teaches. As a starting point this book condenses everything Eiseley ever wrote into one short collection so it is the place to go first. I find I come back to the downriver journey more often than I care to remember. As a metaphor for personal and collective experience few writers have ever written a better account.
3 people found this helpful
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Linda Maynard
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on September 8, 2014
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Very we'll-written, interesting & informative!
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Mr. David Queva
5.0 out of 5 stars Philosophy at its best...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 18, 2012
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The Immense Journey reminded me of Walden Pond by Henry David Thoreau: the same depth, the same insights, the same themes (to an extent) as well. What I found most interesting is the small section about the Boskop Man's skull whose existence and interpretation is still controversial. The skull is claimed to be 30 percent larger than that of modern humans. If this is ever proven to be correct, it could mean that our future has already taken place in southern Africa between 30,000 and 10,000 years ago...
One person found this helpful
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