`The thing that strikes me again and again about Picard's essays is their deep sensitivity and candor ... Picard has a puckish wit and an ability to recognise the foibles of academic and industrial geologists and to skewer the pompous, the officious, and the arrogant, while making us all recognise these tendencies in ourselves.' ... Read more Journal of Geological Education ` Professor Picard is a superb storyteller ... among geo-writers, as much fun to read as Stephen Jay Gould.' Geotimes ` Picard is a geologist who writes truth like fiction. Picard writes wonderful tales about people and places and the geology that he has encountered along the way. His writings are filled with warmth and humour ... Anyone ... who is curious about the earth and the processes which formed it, or who simply like to read a well written, entertaining book, will appreciate them.' Geological Society Bulletin Show Less