Earth [Hardcover]

Michael Allaby (Author), David Burnie (Author), Kim Bryan (Author), Robert Dinwiddie (Author), John Farndon (Author), Douglas Palmer (Author), Martin Walters (Author), Richard Beatty (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 6, 2003

In the best-selling tradition of Smithsonian Animal, this extraordinary survey of our planet provides unrivaled insight into the forces and processes that formed our environment and which continue to influence its evolution. With thousands of breathtaking photographs and unique visual catalogues of the features and phenomena that take place on Earth -- such as rocks, minerals, and mountains to tropical rain forests and the different types of clouds -- Earth contains the most up-to-date ideas on how our world works, a compelling review on the health of the planet, and unbelievable images of the world's most stunning features.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Visually spectacular, this standout guide to our planet offers a thorough look at the Earth's physical dynamics. Divided into five major sections-Planet Earth, Land, Ocean, Atmosphere and Tectonic Earth-the book explores the planet's environment, weather systems and general physical makeup. The large-format volume begins with the Earth's history and anatomy, featuring pages of stunning photos (one image shows a river of red-hot lava running into the sea), comprehensive layouts and excellent diagrams (e.g., a cut-out of the Earth's structure, from inner core to the chemical composition of its atmosphere). A chapter on rocks explains the many various types of metamorphic and sedentary stones, for instance, while a chapter on rivers and lakes showcases beautiful photos of the endless Amazon, with smaller sidebar photos of the animals that live in the tropics and color-coded maps of the region. Pretty enough to serve as a coffee table book, this volume also contains a tremendous amount of absorbing information.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

How to catalog the earth? Luhr and fellow staff members at the Smithsonian Institution have put together an encyclopedic, picture-rich, beautifully designed compendium that draws on up-to-date research in numerous fields to tell the incredible story of our planet's birth, place in the cosmos, and evolution, noting all the primary characteristics that make this flourishing blue green planet unique within the solar system. The writing is clear, animated, and engrossing. The page layouts are works of graphic art: loaded with complex visual and textual information, they are nonetheless airy, balanced, and inviting. A grand time line beginning with the big bang and moving through the full spectrum of geological eras serves as an overture to the detailed story of the earth's dramatic coalescence into the world we know. Detailed looks at rocks and minerals segue into multifaceted coverage of the atmosphere, tectonic plates, glaciers, earthquakes, volcanoes, deserts, grasslands, rivers, forests, mountains, oceans and seas, as well as the topography of civilization. This superb and stunning volume should be kept handy along with atlases and dictionaries. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 520 pages
• Publisher: DK ADULT; 1st edition (October 6, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789496437
• ISBN-13: 978-0789496430
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 10.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #69,828 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Earth Sciences > Seismology
  • #7 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Earth Sciences > Earthquakes & Volcanoes
  • #66 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Reference

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

82 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent Photos, Good Descriptions, November 20, 2004

By 

Matt Ebiner (Covina, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Earth (Hardcover)

As a college geography professor I decided to require Earth as the textbook for my physical geography classes. Tired of the exorbitantly priced textbooks which empty students' wallets, I thought it would be worthwhile to order a cheaper, more accessible book which the students might want to read even after the course ended. Now as the semester is finishing I am mostly happy with my choice. Earth cuts down on the jargon which is part of most college geography classes, so I had to alter my lecture and change some of my exam questions. Also, the sequencing of topics is different than most physical geography texts and I found it necessary to tell students that "today's material is found on pages 110-111,116-119, and 252-253," not quite as simple as telling the students to read chapter 11. Nevertheless, my classes have loved using the text, which caters to the shortened attention spans of most students.

I think any reader would enjoy picking up this book, thumbing to any page, and reading it for even a mere 5 minutes. The photos are beautiful and the captions alone are informative. Highly recommended!

66 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another DK Winner with the Smithsonian "Earth", November 8, 2003

By 

Frank (Atlanta) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Earth (Hardcover)

It seems that DK and the Smithsonian have teamed up to produce a sure winner with their new book "Smithsonian Earth". It is profusely graphic with superb full color photographs and illustrations throughout.

This book is divided into five major subjects: (1) Planet Earth (2) Land (3) Ocean (4) Atmosphere and (5) Tectonic Earth. It is extremely well organized with a comprehensive index and glossary. One will find "thematic panels" scattered throughout the text, which might in other works be referred to as "sidebars". They serve three functions: They are used to highlight science (how scientists have learned about different aspects of the workings of our planet), biography (notable earth scientists, explorers and others are profiled) and environment (the ways humans are changing the Earth). These panels are color-coded. For instance, all biography entries have a light gray background.

Having indexed some books myself in the past, this comprehensive feature was much appreciated. It was impressive in that even the "thematic panels" are indexed as well as the regular text. The index in boldface type refers to the most prominent page. For instance, copper's indexed entry referred to the "thematic panel" that noted that copper is extremely malleable and can be formed into intricate patterns that are invaluable for covering domes, spires and cupolas. Furthermore, it notes that the copper roofs last for centuries - all this in a small thematic panel!

The first part of the book deals with the Earth's past with a colored timeline extending over several pages dating from the Big Bang. The color reflects the temperature and the environment.

One outstanding feature of this book is the use of what they call "double pages" (facing pages) that are used for subjects of a global nature, for instance, such as "The Solar System", "The Earth and the Sun" and "The Earth and the Moon". This is the same format that DK used expertly in their superb Concise Atlas of the World. This format eliminates the annoying necessity of distractive page flipping.

The Planet Earth section is broken down into the Earth's Past, the Earth in Space, the Anatomy of the Earth and The Changing Earth. Each of these subjects is further subdivided.

The Land section focuses on Mountains and Volcanoes, Rivers and Lakes, Glaciers, Deserts, Forests, Wetlands, Grasslands and Tundra, Agricultural Areas, Urban Areas and Industrial Areas.

The Ocean section covers Oceans and Seas and Coasts. These are also further subdivided. Coasts, for instance, are broken down into Tides and Waves, Coasts and Sea Level and Erosions and Depositional Coastlines topics.

In reviewing this book, I first ran a readability test to determine the reading level (the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level) and it showed that it was written on the 12th grade level.

In other words, this book is appropriate for seniors in high school and above and "advanced" young readers. It's good to see an educational book that has not been "dumbed down" to the lowest common denominator! For instance, because of its high quality, this book might be used in an AP Geography course in high school.

In short, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in our Mother Earth and its many themes, vistas and environmental problems.

As a former social studies teacher, I can see that it should meet many needs, especially in our schools as both a reference work and as a textbook. To be quite honest, it's a sheer joy to read and to just "look"! Enjoy!

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Leaves nothing to be desired, April 27, 2006

By 

Ray S - See all my reviews

This review is from: Earth (Hardcover)

This book covers an enormous amount of information. Features such as mountains, rivers, lakes, oceans, plains, deserts, forests, glaciers -- you name it -- are described in general and then short sections are devoted to specific places (the more prominent instances of those features, such as Mt Kilimanjaro for mountains, the Yangtze for rivers, etc., but many relatively lesser known places as well). But this book goes way beyond just land/water features. It also has a timeline of Earth's geological and biological history, covers rocks and minerals, soils, ecosystems, tectonics, natural forces, climate, conservation, and much more. The pictures are spectacular, and this book is full of them. Anyone with a general interest in geography, geology, or nature will certainly enjoy this book immensely.