William Smith and the birth of modern geology

In 2001 British author Simon Winchester wrote a book entitled The Map that Changed the World – in which he describes the life of William Smith, and the contributions that Smith made to geological understanding between about 1790 and his death in 1839. 

Winchester argues that Smith is the true father of geology, in view of his critical contributions to the understanding of sedimentary rocks, the fossils within them and their stratigraphical arrangement.

I strongly recommend that you read all of Winchester’s book because it is both entertaining and interesting, but if you don’t have time to do that, then I would like you to at least read the following parts: 

When you have finished the reading, please write an essay of between 1 and 2 pages in which you summarize the contributions and importance of William Smith to geology, and in particular to what we are studying in Geology 201.