Biographical Memoir of John Wesley Powell, 1834-1902: Free Audiobook and Listening Guide

Biographical Memoir of John Wesley Powell, 1834-1902, credited to William Morris Davis, is available as a LibriVox volunteer audiobook. This guide identifies the recording, its source summary and its audio tracks.

About the work

The LibriVox catalogue summary, preserved with the recording, reads:

LibriVox recording of Biographical Memoir of John Wesley Powell, 1834-1902 by William Morris Davis. Read in English by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont. This is Volume VIII of the National Academy of Sciences Biographical Memoirs series. It is read as 33 sections using the memoir headings. John Wesley Powell (1834-1902) was a leading figure in the geological explorations of the West and helped establish the federal U.S. Geological Survey in 1879. He also led the Bureau of Ethnology and advocated for better treatment and study of Native American tribes and culture. He wrote a definitive study of the arid western U.S., advocating for thoughtful irrigation and land management practices. Powell predicted that water rights purchased by corporations, rather than tied to the land, would be a major political and environmental issue. John Wesley Powell was a scientific frontiersman. His life reveals the energetic working of a vigorous and independent personality, full of inspiration, power, and enterprise. He was a founder of major scientific organizations, including the National Geographic Society, Geological Society of America, and the Cosmos Club. Powell lived most of his life in Washington, DC. The memoir was written by William Morris Davis (1850-1934) was a prominent professor of geology, geography, and meteorology at Harvard and knew Powell personally. Summary by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont

Recording facts

• Recording title: Biographical Memoir of John Wesley Powell, 1834-1902
• Author credits: William Morris Davis
• Language: English
• Original MP3 tracks: 33
• Listed recording duration: 3:40:51

Catalogue topics

• adventure
• science
• biography
• government
• civil war

Opening tracks: first 24 of 33

1. 01 - Early Life — 5:39
2. 02 - Service in the Civil War — 5:03
3. 03 - Visit to the Rocky Mountains, 1867-1868 — 4:28
4. 04 - Exploration of the Colorado Canyon — 9:18
5. 05 - Geological Survey of the Territories and Report on the Colorado Canyon — 11:10
6. 06 - Antecedent Rivers — 11:10
7. 07 - Geological Work — 6:20
8. 08 - Physiographic Work — 8:16
9. 09 - Baselevel of Erosion — 7:58
10. 10 - Planation — 5:20
11. 11 - Physiographic Essays — 7:23
12. 12 - Lands of the Arid Region — 21:03
13. 13 - The Geological Survey — 11:19
14. 14 - Topographical Map — 5:26
15. 15 - Reports and Folios — 4:10
16. 16 - Irrigation Survey — 1:59
17. 17 - Administration — 7:21
18. 18 - Resignation from the Survey — 7:22
19. 19 - Residence in Washington — 3:29
20. 20 - Ethnological Work — 7:22
21. 21 - Bureau of Ethnology — 3:21
22. 22 - Indian Languages and Mythology — 7:00
23. 23 - Savagery, Barbarism, and Civilization — 3:27
24. 24 - Synthetic Essays — 9:42

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