Includes bibliographical references (pages 463-483) and index.
Contents
Setting the scene -- Scientific research under a historical microscope -- Arenas of gentlemanly debate -- Unraveling the earth -- Prelude: unraveling the Greywacke -- The Controversy goes public -- Taming the transition -- Devonshire put to the test -- Interpretive maneuvers -- Shifting the argument -- Big books in collision -- The Devonian system reborn -- Conquering the continent -- Creating a consensus -- The Devonian naturalized -- The Action analyzed -- The Shape of the controversy -- The Shaping of natural knowledge -- Appendices: A. "And they lived happily ever after" -- B. The Devonian modernized -- C. Note on prices and incomes.