The Biosphere: Complete Annotated Edition [Hardcover]

Vladimir I. Vernadsky (Author), M.A.S. McMenamin (Editor), D.B. Langmuir (Translator), L. Margulis (Preface), M. Ceruti (Preface), S. Golubic (Preface), R. Guerrero (Preface), N. Ikeda (Preface), N. Ikezawa (Preface), W.E. Krumbein (Preface), A. Lapo (Preface), A. Lazcano (Preface), D. Suzuki (Preface), C. Tickell (Preface), M. Walter (Preface), P. Westbroek (Preface)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 038798268X | ISBN-13: 978-0387982687 | Publication Date: March 27, 1998 | Edition: 1

"Vladimir Vernadsky was a brilliant and prescient scholar-a true scientific visionary who saw the deep connections between life on Earth and the rest of the planet and understood the profound implications for life as a cosmic phenomenon." -DAVID H. GRINSPOON, AUTHOR OF VENUS REVEALED "The Biosphere should be required reading for all entry level students in earth and planetary sciences." -ERIC D. SCHNEIDER, AUTHOR OF INTO THE COOL: THE NEW THERMODYNAMICS OF CREATIVE DESTRUCTION

Editorial Reviews

Review

...required reading for all entry level students in earth and planetary sciences. -- Eric D. Schneider, co-author [with Dorion Sagan] of Into the Cool: The New Thermodynamics of Creative Destruction

Among Russian-speaking scientists, V. I. Vernadsky has Darwinian stature, largely because of insights presented in The Biosphere. -- Stephen M. Rowland, Professor of Geology, University of Nevada

I am delighted to see [Vernadsky's] The Biosphere finally published in its entirety for an English reading audience. -- David. H. Grinspoon, author of Venus Revealed

This elegant new edition of Vernadsky's classic will be of value for the specialist, students and the public at large. -- Francisco Varela, author of The Tree of Knowledge

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Russian

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 1 edition (March 27, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038798268X
• ISBN-13: 978-0387982687
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #865,385 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #100 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Chemistry > Geochemistry

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A work of rare genius rediscovered, May 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Biosphere: Complete Annotated Edition (Hardcover)

It's hard to read this book without coming away with the impression of a powerful, original mind at work. Many of Vernadsky's ideas remain unappreciated to this day. In particular, the idea of life as a cosmological phenomenon, as a means by which energy is stored and transformed on a planetary scale, should become increasingly important as the science of astrobiology develops a rigorous intellectual basis.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I worked on the '97 edition, and I'm impressed!, November 2, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Biosphere: Complete Annotated Edition (Hardcover)

A biology graduate studying under Lynn Margulis, I was fortunate enough to be involved in preparing "The Biosphere" for publication; and even the raw typescript I transferred onto disk was impressive! Let me eagerly recommend V.I. Vernadsky, as the unsung Charles Darwin of geological and ecological science. In his time, Academician Vernadsky was a groundbreaker: the first to appreciate the vast scope of life's chemical influence upon the Earth ... this planet, which owes its own uniqueness to the very "living matter" of which we, just as all other organisms, are a part. To the readers of today, Vernadsky's own words tell us the historic beginnings of the discipline this brilliant, long-uncredited scientist's ideas founded. No student or advocate of global ecology should miss this thought-provoking, eye-opening book!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excelent book, March 18, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Biosphere: Complete Annotated Edition (Hardcover)

I have read this Vernadsky's books in Russian - his works is the cornerstone of modern culture. Vernadsky's work will be as important for human civilization in new millennium as books of Newton, Darwin, Einstein and Plato now. I'd like to read English Edition. Vernadsky's works are important for EVERYBODY, not only for biologists. Semyon D. Savransky, Ph.D. (Physics & Materaials Science, TRIZ)