Blue Planet [Hardcover]

DK Publishing (Author), Alastair Fothergill (Author), Andrew Byatt (Author), Martha Holmes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2002

"From space, Planet Earth is blue. It floats like a jewel in the inky black void. The reflection of the sun's light from the vast expanse of water covering its surface creates it gemlike blue color. In the entire solar system, Earth is the only planet that has water in liquid form in such quantities." Scientist have calculated that 70 percent of our planet is covered by water; small wonder that the human being shave always been so fascinated by the oceans and what lies beneath. Today, while we still have so much more of the ocean realm to uncover, we have discovered enough to know that beneath the waves lies a vast treasure-trove of rich and diverse life. Accompanying the television series of the same name, The Blue Planet leads up on a voyage of exploration from the coasts, the very edges of the oceans, to the deep where weird and monstrous fish lurk in a world of perpetual darkness. Along the way we are introduced to a whole host of wonderful creatures -- from tiny copepods to majestic blue whales, and from the grotesque hairy anglerfish, to the amazing tripod fish that stands on its three delicate legs waiting to snap up unsuspecting prey. Complete with a foreword by Sir David Attenborough and 400 full-color photographs, The Blue Planet is the first complete and comprehensive portrait of the whole ocean system.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This companion volume to the forthcoming BBC/Discovery Channel miniseries The Blue Planet is a broad-ranging, nonthreatening introduction to our planet's oceans for the reader who is interested, but not well versed, in science. Six of seven chapters cover the basic ocean environments (e.g., tropical seas, frozen seas, and the deep), with an emphasis on the plant and animal life found in these regions. Although the focus is on biological oceanography, one full chapter covers physical oceanography and marine geology. The relevant chemistry, geology, and physics of the ocean are also introduced as needed. Spectacular photographs are plentiful throughout. Although lacking a bibliography or suggestions for further reading, the book contains a good index, a glossary, and even cross references in the text when appropriate. The science is thorough and up-to-date. A good introduction to the oceans for the scientific novice, this book is recommended for public, high school, and middle school libraries that do not have extensive marine science collections, as well as for public libraries whose patrons are fans of the Discovery Channel. Margaret Rioux, MBL/WHOI Lib., Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst., MA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Published in conjunction with the BBC/Discovery Channel special of the same name, this stunning new book reveals the secrets of our water planet. When viewed from space, Earth, 70 percent of which is covered with water, appears blue. Only 1 percent of these vast oceans has been studied, and these mysteries and discoveries are discussed in seven chapters. The first chapters explain the mechanics of the water planet, including the chemistry of water; the interactions of atmosphere and ocean; and how water moves in waves, currents, and tides. The remaining sections discuss the different realms of the oceans: the seas of the tropics, temperate regions, and the poles; the open oceans far from land; and the deep-sea regions. The plant and animal life adapted to each environment are depicted in beautiful photographs, and more information appears in sidebars. The informative text is conversational and highly readable and extensively illustrated with maps, illustrations, charts, and photographs, many of which show rarely seen creatures. Nancy Bent
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: DK ADULT; 1st edition (January 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789482657
• ISBN-13: 978-0789482655
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 10.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #312,562 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #26 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Lakes & Ponds

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Water, water everywhere, February 4, 2002

By 

JLind555 - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blue Planet (Hardcover)

DK Publishers have put out some stunning volumes recently, but they have especially outdone themselves with two: "Animal" and "The Blue Planet". Lavishly illustrated and gloriously photographed, "The Blue Planet" is a fascinating exploration of the 70% of our world that we don't live in. As one of the authors states, we know more about the surface of the moon than we do about our own oceans. "Blue Planet" tries to address the imbalance and, for the lay reader, succeeds admirably. The book is excellently organized and written in plain language comprehensible to almost any reader. It's divided into seven main parts: an overview of the ocean system, coastal shorelines, tropical seas, temperate seas, frozen seas, the open ocean, and the deep. Each part is divided into subsections with reference arrows to other relevant sections, making it easy to use for research. We learn a lot about the feeding, mating and survival patterns of the inhabitants of each layer of the ocean; most fascinating to this reviewer was the dazzling spectacle of the light shows caused by bioluminescence in fish that live so deep down that most of us will only see them on film. There's also a photograph of a dead giant squid, proving that archyteuthis is no figment of anyone's imagination; we wonder if anyone will ever glimpse a live one. The book is a companion volume to the excellent series on the Discovery Channel but it stands up very well on its own. It's a must-have for anyone interested in the infinite variety of life on this world.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of those "Must Read" books, December 26, 2002

By 

Waleed Abu-Ghazaleh "tryingtomakesenseofit" (Al-Sharq, Kuwait Kuwait) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blue Planet (Hardcover)

This book is so well written, so cleanly designed and so perfectly illustrated that it is required reading to all nature lovers, particularly those interested in the strange, beautiful and other-wordly life of the deep sees. Brilliant and sure to appeal to ages ranging from 8 to 80 years old.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly a great book, August 28, 2003

By 

David Hassall (Wichita, KS) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blue Planet (Hardcover)

After watching the 'Blue Planet' documentaries on TV I developed an interest about life under the sea. Some of the documentary footage was truly groundbreaking work in terms of capturing the animals on film and bringing it to our homes in such a unique way.

The book, like the documentary is truly a great piece of work. It's well planned, presented and written. It covers all aspects of ocean life with out becoming to specific with regard to certain species. Some of the photographs throughout the book are truly wonderful; this book is a must for everyone, of all ages. It will satisfy any appetite for deep-sea discovery, shore life and marine biology.

5 Stars, This book has everything you need and more, and the presentation is second to none.