From CLIVE NICHOLAS
Book reviewers have the privilege of giving their own opinion. Rob Butler
(Review, 9 May) gives an opinion seemingly that of a specialist academic.
Nothing wrong with that, but perhaps I could offer a different opinion,
that of a general practitioner, industrial geologist.
Some geologists may have moved from archive into the laboratory in recent
years, but I would contend that real geologists do not abandon field observations
and data as the basis of their work. A clear view of geological processes
is the key to understanding, but this is impossible without a firm database
of practical knowledge.
The Geological Society’s two books on The Geology of England and Wales
and The Geology of Scotland do not contain trivia. Whatever Rob Butler may
believe, the information in these two books is critical to understanding
the geology of the UK both for students and for professional geologists
working in this country.
Clive Nicholas ECC Quarries Ltd Exeter, Devon
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