Customer Reviews

The American Heritage Science Dictionary

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This is a handy one-volume reference for scientific terms and for short descriptions of a few (39, to be exact) scientists. Besides definitions, there are three other kinds of entry, called "a closer look", "biographies" and "usage". The book is written in a two-column format and these additional entries can run from a quarter to three quarters of a column, sometimes boxed off at the bottom of the page and taking up in some cases more than half the entire page.

The two page Periodic Table is situated near its alphabetical position (actually it interupts the entry on 'pesticide', so it's slightly out of position), and a two page spread on Geologic Time interrupts the entry on 'geostationary orbit' . There are a few other charts that take up a single page, such as those for the Solar System, Symbols & Signs, and Taxonomy. They occur pretty close to where you'd expect them (again, they are shifted slightly out of alphabetical position).

The text is written at the "popular science" level and does not go into advanced, detailed explanations. It's an enjoyable book to browse in; it's a handy size; and it's a well-made volume. There are illustrations in it and the font is easy to read.

My copy is the 2005 edition. An updated edition was published in 2008.