“To describe Rudwick as ‘scholarly’ is rather like describing Mozart as ‘musically talented.' He is omniscient, and it’s greatly to be wished that this book becomes known beyond the ranks of historians of the recondite."
— Richard Fortey, London Review of Books
"Bursting the Limits of Time is a massive work and is quite simply a masterpiece of science history. . . . The book should be obligatory for every geology and history of science library, and is a highly recommended companion for every civilized geologist who can carry an extra 2.4 kg in his rucksack."
— Stephen Moorbath, Nature
“The first detailed account of the monumental phase in the history of science, when 18th- and early 19th-century earth scientists gradually pieced together the ideas of what we now call ‘deep time.’”
— History Today
"A magisterial work...a huge accomplishment—detailed, subtle, refined—and it is difficult to do justice here to the depth and breadth of its argument. It will surely stand as the definitive work on the topic for many years to come."
— Naomi Oreskes, Science
"This is a masterful study by the world's foremost expert in the history of natural history . . . which deserves to be read by anyone interested in understanding the foundations of the modern historical sciences. . . . A short review cannot possibly do justice to the intricate, erudite, meticulously researched and immensely enjoyable history Rudwick weaves. . . . It is difficult to imagine a more impressive survey of genuinely 'big questions' in the origin of a modern scientific field, or a more appropriate statement of a life's work. . . . In every way, this is a truly magnificent book."
— David Sepkoski, Reports of the National Center for Science Education
"Martin Rudwick has written a chef d'oeuvre. . . . Bursting the Limits of Time is a monument of the early history of geology that puts all before it in the shade."
— Charles C. Gillespie, Historical Studies in Natural Sciences
"One of the most respected historians of science today, Rudwick has produced a masterfully written, splendidly researched, richly detailed, and superbly illustrated (no less than 175 plates!) work."
— Keith R. Benson, History & Philosophy of Life Sciences
"Martin J. S. Rudwick has provided a work of superb scholarship on thought related to processes...Many extensive and well-written passages expose popular mythologies that have resulted from prior oversimplification or distortion to become near dogma in geology and paleobiology. In a spirit of great fairness, by placing now-invalidated concepts into the contexts of the science of the day, Rudwick has defended the viewpoints of many who popularly came to be considered almost as buffoons. He has also shown in several cases how long-unrecognized, faulty translations of the original texts, or even inappropriate editorial alterations in citations, have led to sneeringly negative misrepresentations of individuals’ abilities...Most of the text’s illustrations are taken from archival drawings or maps characteristic of the time. The figures are aesthetically wonderful, well chosen, and their integration in the text is absolutely essential to full understanding of the points being made."
— Jason A. Lillegraven, Eighteenth-Century Life
"This well written and richly illustrated book should appeal to historians and geologists alike, and it is indispensable for the historians of stratigraphy."
— Geological Journal