The Encyclopedia of Earth: A Complete Visual Guide

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Description
This sumptuously illustrated, beautifully written encyclopedia presents the most up-to-date information about planet Earth in a style and format that will appeal to an extremely wide range of readers. With thousands of photographs, illustrations, diagrams, and maps and a text written by a team of international experts, it presents an impressive overview of the globe.University of California Press

Reviews

Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.

Library Journal (11/01/2008)
"Geology is a science of great beauty," states Walter Alvarez (Univ. of California, Berkeley) in his introduction to this visually stunning work. Written by Allaby (author of four volumes in the "Biomes of the Weather" series) and noted geoscience academics and writers from around the world, this lavishly illustrated and easily accessible tome introduces readers to the mysterious and complex process that has shaped our world. In six sectionsappropriately named "Birth," "Fire," "Land," "Air," "Water," and "Humans"we are given a cinematic view covering everything from the earth's stellar origins to our role in its feared demise. While the text of the articles is lucid and informative, it's also quite sparse. The adage about the worth of a picture helps to keep this work to a single volume. Regular "Fact file" sidebars identify geographic superlatives and also include numerous graphs and charts as well as detailed views of events, processes, and even organisms. Several two-page sections provide a decidedly human perspective by focusing on topics such as theories of evolution, the historical use of precious metals and gems, and historical meteorology. BOTTOM LINE McGraw-Hill's "Concise Encyclopedia of Earth Science" lacks the holistic approach of this work but appears to be more focused on the myriad geoscience disciplines. Like all single-volume encyclopedias, this one sacrifices depth for breadtha problem alleviated by the inclusion of over 1900 illustrations and 1000 maps. A list of further readings, perhaps arranged thematically at the end of each article or chapter, would have greatly enhanced the book's profile as a primer. Recommended for public libraries. [Available in print only.]Daniel Sifton, Cariboo Regional Dist. Lib., Williams Lake, B.C. Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal (12/01/2008)
Gr 9 Up "Encyclopedia" is an overview of Earth from its birth to the effects of human habitation, related by explaining physical processes and providing short explanations of specific examples worldwide. Chapters are heavily illustrated spreads, which includegiven the book's focus on physical mechanismsmany labeled diagrams. The text covers such a vast number of features that it only provides a little information about each one, but the book will work well as a visual guide, its intended use. Though there is plenty here for high school students, some of the terms reflect the volume's scholarly origins and they are not always included in the glossary. "Timeless Earth" covers three categories of remarkable locations-"The Natural World," "Human Culture," and "The Modern World." These sections are further subdivided into chapters such as "Ancient Civilizations" and "Eastern Empires" in "Human Culture." Each entry covers a spread and consists mostly of well-captioned visuals. These are complemented by a box detailing the feature's country and its significance and a short, clearly written discussion (somewhat overlapping "Encyclopedia") of natural formation, construction, or artistic creation. These visual treats are solid guides to further research. "Encyclopedia" will find uses in history and social studies classes, while "Timeless Earth" will work best for earth science students."Henrietta Thornton-Verma", School Library Journal Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

ISBN: 0520254716 | EAN: 9780520254718
Publisher: University of California Press  | Publication Date: September, 2008

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