In over 300 essays for Natural History magazine titled The View of Life, biologist and historian of science, Stephen J. Gould (1941-2002) took his readers on a wonderful, non-linear journey through his ideas on evolution and so much more. Thirty-five of these essays were included in Gould’s 1991 bestseller Bully for Brontosaurus: Reflections in Natural History.

Gould was a brilliant scientist who wrote eloquently on subjects ranging from his expertise of Cerion, a type of land snail, to Joe DiMaggio’s hitting streak while never straying far from using this knowledge to explain evolution in clear and entertaining ways. Gould’s range of interests was legendary as noted by Dr. Sally Walker who studies Cerion at the University of Georgia. On a field trip with Gould, she recalled “that guy can drive down the left side of the road, which is required in the Bahamas, then jump out the door and find Cerion when we can't even see it. Then, this multilingual, internationally respected Renaissance man, student of classical music and astronomy and countless other eclectica, might joyously break out into Gilbert and Sullivan song.” His essays provide the reader with a similar experience.

Along with Niles Eldridge, Gould was the champion of the idea of “punctuated equilibrium,” the idea that most evolution is characterized by long periods of evolutionary stability, infrequently punctuated by swift periods of branching speciation. While this theory has not been accepted by the entire scientific community, even his critics admired his writing which remains relevant due to its lasting impact on evolutionary theory, its ability to engage the public with science and its promotion of critical thinking in scientific inquiry. His work continues to inspire new research and debates in evolutionary biology and related fields.

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