Product Description

The august Charles Darwin devoted the last years of his life to the meticulous study of one animal: the earthworm. It may be small, spineless and blind, but its role in the ecosystem is profound. It tills the soil, destroys microscopic organisms that cause plant disease, breaks down toxins and turns the ground into rich compost, creating the most fertile areas on earth. In a witty and offbeat encomium to this humble creature, Amy Stewart weaves her own back garden investigations with those of the eccentric oligochaetologists who have made the close study of worms their personal obsession. From the legendary giant Australian worm that burrows up to 15 feet below the ground to the modest nightcrawler that inspired Darwin to write his last book, The Earth Moves finally gives worms their due and exposes the hidden and extraordinary universe below our feet.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #534981 in Books
• Published on: 2005-02-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

Review
Each page reveals a new fact about our soil-dwelling friends … It's not all facts and figures though. The author tells a gripping story of her growing fascination with these creatures, which shape our very existence as they work their way through the soil on which we all depend (BBC Gardeners' World )

She writes illuminatingly of all the things about which one had only a vague notion: the earthworm's hermaphroditic status, its ability to regenerate section of its body if cut, its capacity to find food without the senses of smell, sight or hearing (Ursula Buchan Spectator )

An ideal read for anyone with the slightest interest in worms, gardening or the environment - fun, light-hearted, fascinating and informative all at the same time (Gardening Which )

Gardening Which, December 2005
'fun, light-hearted, fascinating and informative all at the same time'

About the Author
Amy Stewart lives in northern California with her husband, two cats and several thousand worms. She is the garden columnist and book critic for the North Coast Journal and her articles appear in a number of magazines, including Organic Gardening, Bird Watcher's Chronicle and the San Francisco Chronicle.

Customer Reviews

Fails to inspire
Principally it is important to understand that Amy Stewart, the author of 'The earth moved' is principally a gardener and as such the book is dominated by and large to the benefits of earthworms to the gardening and to a similar extent farming communities, and how these benefits can be further developed. Indeed the book would be more accurately sub-titled 'On the remarkable uses of earthworms'.

There are undoubtedly interesting parts such as the regeneration phenomenon and the intelligence of earthworms but these parts are underdeveloped and largely sidelined in favour of the way earthworms can be utilised. Stewart mentions Darwin a lot which is somewhat odd as the remit of this book is a far cry from Darwin's studies which concentrated on the more interesting subject of earthworm behaviour.

The main problem with this book is that it is too long. Everything the book has to say could have been fitted concisely into a book half this size and would have retained interest a lot better. Instead Stewart stretches the book to 200 pages and in doing so repeats a lot of what she writes and labours many points so they become dull and tiresome.

Stewart is not an experienced author of books, and making the subject of earthworms interesting to a non-scientific audience is a difficult task for the best of writers. Unfortunately she has gone about it the wrong way and is somewhat uninspiring except to a select audience of farmers and amateur gardeners. However what the book does give you is an introduction to a surprisingly interesting subject which may lead you to reach for other books or journals which are more focused on your point of earthworm interest.

further reading for worm enthusiasts
Never mind the poor reviews this is a good read for the wormery owner who would like to expand their knowledge of the little wrigglers.

Too long and boring at times
I wonder why Amy Stewart wrote this book? If it was to share with people the huge benefits that earthworms bestow on mankind and to bring this to the publics attention, then I feel she went about this the wrong way. Yes there were some interesting snip bits in it, though I feel she tried to hard to give it some sort of pseudo science credibility by referring to Darwin. She also mentions other scientist she had met who were researching earthworms. I was disappointed in it. I just don't know why it was written. The Earth did not move for me here!

Many people here in the UK do not give worms a thought at all. Others simply do not like them. Other books out there try a different approach, and are far more readable and give far more practical advise as to exactly why and what exactly are the remarkable achievements of earthworms are, for example the UK book "Composting with worms, why waste your waste" and the American book, though now a little dated,"Worms eat my garbage", both available on Amazon. These books describe tangible ways and give everyday practical reasons why we should look at our earthworms in a more favourable light.