HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY Henry Holt, Metropolitan Books ...

Henry Holt Nonfiction
Hali Felt
SOUNDINGS
The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor
Publication: July 2012 Books Available
Editor: Gillian Blake Category: Biography
In SOUNDINGS, Hali Felt expertly brings to vivid life the story of
Marie Tharp, a pioneering scientist who literally changed the way we
view the earth. Trained as a geologist, but more important as a
draftsman, Marie took the soundings made by her male colleagues
who sailed on research vessels and set out to map the entire ocean
floor. When Marie undertook her work, “fixists” reigned among
geologists—prevailing thought was that the continents were fixed and
immobile. Marie’s unveiling of the mid-Atlantic ridge led to
revolutionary change in earth science, with her work still studied and
referred to by specialists. John Noble Wilford called her map the first
comprehensive map of the entire ocean floor, “one of the most
remarkable achievements in modern cartography.” Filled with vivid
moments and armed with materials (including private letters, photos,
interviews, personal objects and papers) not available to any other writers, Felt has taken a fresh and
utterly engaging approach to Marie’s story. Featuring a fascinating woman, scientific discovery akin
to a detective story and a monumental act that changed the way we view the world, this story has
something for everyone.
Hali Felt teaches writing at the University of Pittsburgh. She received her MFA from the University
of Iowa and has has reported for the Columbia Journalism Review and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. She
currently lives in Pittsburgh.
"Felt’s biography reimagines [Tharp's] progression from a nomadic childhood through scientific
breakthroughs with a vivid, poetic touch, revealing an idiosyncratic and determined woman whose
'vigorous creativity' advanced everyone’s career but her own.” – Publishers Weekly
British: Henry Holt
Translation: Henry Holt