<b>One of the key works in the nineteenth-century battle between science and Scripture</b><br><br>Charles Lyell's <i>Principles of Geology</i> (1830-33) sought to explain the geological state of the modern Earth by considering the long-term effects of observable natural phenomena. Written with clarity and a dazzling intellectual passion, it is both a seminal work of modern geology and a compelling precursor to Darwinism, exploring the evidence for radical changes in climate and geography across the ages and speculating on the progressive development of life. A profound influence on Darwin,<i>Principles of Geology</i> also captured the imagination of contemporaries such as Melville, Emerson, Tennyson and George Eliot, transforming science with its depiction of the powerful forces that shape the natural world.<br><br>For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700&nbsp;titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the&nbsp;series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date&nbsp;translations by award-winning translators.