“Glassley and his fellow geologists went on six expeditions to one of the world’s most remote lands to study ancient evidence related to plate tectonics. In evocative prose, he describes their research and the startling beauty of Greenland, and speculates on the nature of perception and the wonder inspired by wilderness.”

“This Walden-esque reflection on wilderness and humanity’s relationship to it will have you shivering along with Glassley and his colleagues in their tents, and wondering at the awe-inspiring age of the rocks they study and what it teaches us about the ancient history of our planet.”

“A fascinating gem of a book about a geological exploration of Greenland that leads to a scientific breakthrough.”

“We’re a bit swoony-eyed about A Wilder Time. . . . Glassley joins the ranks of naturalist writers who make talking about rocks and lichens sexy with this witty and engrossing memoir of time spent wandering about on Greenland. . . . His enthusiasm is infectious and his wonder at this wild place is inspiring.”

“As geologists, we may be rational scientists, but expeditions to remote places touch something deep in us that moves us to also be poets. Glassley has turned his experiences in Greenland into searingly beautiful descriptions of a wild landscape and the ways in which that landscape moves and changes him. Every sentence is evocative, connoting curiosity, awe, and respect in equal measure. A Wilder Time is a paean on the importance of wilderness to the human spirit and a saddening reminder of what we lose when we divorce ourselves from contact with wild places. Glassley’s voice will stay with me the way the works of Loren Eiseley, Edward Abbey, Rachel Carson, and Aldo Leopold have stayed with me over the decades.”

“In this extraordinary narrative, Glassley, a geologist, describes his intimate relationship with Greenland’s ancient rocks in such a fashion that the reader who knows nothing about geology is hooked; that reader feels like he’s not only been transported to the rockribbed coast of West Greenland, but is also bent down and studying its rocks right along with Glassley. At the same time, the book reminds us of the degree to which climate change is damaging the planet. . . . Urgently recommended!”

“While conducting research probing deep time and the origin of continents, Glassley discovered a further source of fascination: the Arctic wilderness of Greenland. In A Wilder Time, he shares his encounters with unvarnished nature still free—for now—from the corruptions and constructs of human settlement. With openness, clarity, and a keen eye for detail, he weaves adventure, research, astonished awe, and thoughtful reflection into an absorbing account of his sojourns.”

“Glassley’s A Wilder Time is a wonderful mix of science and poetry. It delves into the kind of spiritual effect that wilderness has on those privileged to work in it and how it changes the way we experience and understand our surroundings and our lives. The science, including the geological controversy at the heart of the book, is lucidly explained, and readers will be absorbed by the story Glassley tells as well as his many vividly described encounters with nature. Next time someone asks me why I am a geologist, I will just hand them this book.”

“While conveying the geological hypotheses, techniques of data collection, and adventures of his expeditions to Greenland with his two Danish colleagues, Glassley also brings startling sensory precision to his descriptions. The velvety feeling of moss, the taste of lichen, the alternating rhythms of terror and fluidity in schools of fish through which a predatory sculpin cruises—such experiences bring what might have seemed a stark world of rock and ice alive. This delicacy of perception is the vehicle through which not only the scientific quest but also the profound mystery of our living Earth saturates this memorable book.”

“Glassley exhibits an uncanny ability to put us in the midst of Greenland’s vast silence, where he takes us deep into the planet’s soul. It is an important and well-told adventure that opens us to life’s grand expanse and begs us to follow in spite of the brevity of our existence.”

“Very few people have spent as much time as William E. Glassley in such deep wilderness. So it would behoove us to pay attention even if he had not brought back such a fascinating, lovely, and useful set of observations. This is a remarkable book.”

“Very highly recommended. . . . A Wilder Time is a celebration of wilderness, written in poetic prose that can be appreciated by anyone who enjoys good nature writing. It is also a call to save the wilderness areas we have left.”

“A Wilder Time is nature writing at its informative and inspirational best and unreservedly recommended.”

“A poetic, metaphysical and philosophical treatise on the wildness of life on earth. . . . [Glassley’s] enthusiasm for geology is palpable. His love of the wild is tangible, and his way with words beautiful.”

“Thoughtful. . . . Evincing humility in the midst of the great ‘unshaped wild,’ Glassley exudes a palpable and infectious sense of wonder.”

“Poetic, enthusiastic. . . . Combining the strengths of travel writing and lyrical memoir, Glassley translates his own ‘incandescent experience of place’ into a conservation message: ‘We must share and celebrate the wild so that it might be saved.’”

“Profound and moving. . . . A superb tool for a better understanding of the natural world and why real science matters.”

“Writing with the same poetic precision, artistry, and soulful receptivity as Gretel Ehrlich and Barry Lopez, with the added impact of his rigorous scientist-in-the-field expertise, Glassley is spellbinding as he chronicles his exhilarating adventures.”

“Amazing. A Wilder Time is a book for those who love nature and have that longing desire to learn the unknown, all hidden along the walls of the fjords of Greenland.”

“Transport[s] readers across the world and deep into the past, while suggesting a way forward into the future. For budding naturalists, armchair geologists, and anyone who loves a good expedition, this is an ideal read.”

“Mesmerizing. . . . [Glassley] is a thoroughly accessible guide whose wonder at the landscape that surrounds him is infectious.”

“Engaging. . . . A treat for geology buffs.”

“Builds a case for the necessity of wild places, both as respite from the noise and clutter of modern life and for their inherent values.”

“Straddles the line effortlessly between poetic and scientific. . . . What really pushes A Wilder Time into the upper echelons of nature books is its higher-reaching aims, using this location and journey to explore time, self, and the human relationship to nature.”

“Glassley eloquently evokes a place where land feathers into Arctic sea, ice floes glide by on mirror-smooth tongues of clear, frigid water and silence reigns. . . . This story offers perspectives on deep time to boggle minds. . . . Glassley’s vivid impressions of East Greenland attempt what few scientist-writers try: to explore beyond the comfort zone of his field.”

“Glassley ponders the nature of perception and the human mind, describes the dramatic physical features of Greenland’s makeup and recounts the thrilling adventures of his extended visits there.”

“A richly literary account. . . . Anchored by deep reflection and scientific knowledge, A Wilder Time is a portrait of an ancient, nearly untrammeled world that holds the secrets of our planet’s deepest past, even as it accelerates into our rapidly changing future. The book bears the literary, scientific, philosophic, and poetic qualities of a nature-writing classic, the rarest mixture of beauty and scholarship, told with the deftest touch.”