“Just get it down on paper, and then we'll see what to do about it.” —Maxwell Perkins

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize

Winner of the PEN America Award (E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award)

A New York Times Editor’s Choice

Amazon Editor’s Pick—Best History

A Best Book of The Year—Kirkus Review, The Economist, The Globe & Mail

“Enlightening…an enthralling look at a pivotal period in the history of biology.”
—Publishers’ Weekly

Engaging and thought-provoking…focused on the theatrical politics and often deeply troubling science that shape our definitions of life on Earth.”
—New York Times



Hello. I’m a writer of nonfiction and fiction. My latest book is Every Living Thing: The Great and Deadly Race to Know All Life, now available from Random House (US), Doubleday (Canada), and Quercus/Riverrun (UK). I’m also the author of A Sense of the World, available in several editions and translations. Puppies are nice, but old dogs have a dignity we could all learn from. You ever know an old dog that didn’t have dignity? Anyway, nice of you to visit. Feel free to poke around.