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Title: Should have been shorter
Review: This book presents the interesting life of William Smith, who created the world's first geological map.The trouble is, William Smith's life is not >>very<< interesting and the material doesn't justify a full length book. A good magazine article would have done the job. The same can be said of Simon Winchester's other OK book, the Professor and the Madman.If SW could write a few more of these interesting lives, keep them at say 10,000 words each, and publish them in a collection , then the resulting book would probably merit 4 stars. As it is, 2 will do .
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