Speaking of Scottish geology, here's my current read, a biography of James Hutton. As an inspiration for Lyell and in turn Darwin, he is an under appreciated giant in the history of science. The book also provides a good deal of information on the events leading up to the Scottish Enlightenment and the unification of England and Scotland. The man also was one of the original party animals, apparently spending a not insignificant amount of time getting drunk with luminaries such as Ben Franklin, Adam Smith, James Watt, Robert Burns, Walter Scott, and David Hume. Makes my friends seem rather, shall we say, pedestrian?
