Customer Reviews

Earth: Portrait of a Planet, Second Edition

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This books serves as an excellent introduction to geology and earth sciences. It is extremely well written and explains difficult concepts well. Because it is written as a college textbook the examples and analogies given are drawn from common experience that are easy to understand.
Among the best part of the book are the illustrations which are beautiful to look at and supplement the text expertly, again reinforcing concepts.
I appreciated the way the author has integrated the broad theory of plate tectonics throughout all sections of the book. In particular he has expertly woven the theory of plate tectonics into the history of the earth's evolution and how that in turn has led to the evolution of life.
This book is a great introduction for college students and for the educated layman looking to better appreciate and understand this wonderful place we call earth.

The sub-title 'Portrait of a Planet' gives you some idea of what this book is all about. It is almost a coffee table picture book, filled with photographs of the earth. Yet at the same time its first edition became the text book of choice at over 300 colleges and universities around the world.

This is the brand new second edition. The new edition has taken comments about the previous edition, integrated them with the results of recent discoveries and more examples, photographs, art work, and text to make the second edition even better. Each chapter of the first edition was sent to an expert reviewer (a world leader on that particular subject) for comment.

The biggest change in the new edition is to stress plate tectonics earlier and stronger to provide the underlying theory that covers most of current geologic thinking.

I also like his explanation of the oil situation. He looks at alternatives and points out that we may well be living in a unique time of history.

This book is indeed the best introduction to geology you can ever get. It has the most fundamental knowlegde and at the same time it includes a higher level. So it is for all people with an interest in geology. If you are a student and even if you are a normal person with great interest this book will become your favorite. It combins beautyful pictures with nice drawings and great text. It gives a good picture of what it is like to be a geologist and what the work includes.
Simply: you get the best of geology!! Injoy:o)

I found this book very detailed as far as the titles in the chapters. The subjects in each chapter are high educational. The charts and photos compliment the selections in the chapters being discussed. I highly recommend this book for any individual studying Science more specifically Earth Science or Geology. This book is the best investment for my education.

I was lookin for an older version of this book at a reduced price and I got just what I wanted at a great price.

I bought this book for my 'Planet Earth' class, the equivalent of Introduction to Geology. Instead of buying the third edition, I found this book used for a measly twenty dollars (because it is an older edition). Compared to the $100+ texts I have bought up until this point, this text is my favorite. The images, photographs and illustrations are all gorgeous. The text is easy to read and study from, and well written so you don't feel like you're slogging through chapter after chapter. This book is worth keeping, even after I have finished the class and have a different major. This is great for introductory courses in college, but I would also recommend it for high school students interested in Geology.

The book was sent to me in about 2 weeks, and it was in the exact condition they said it would be.

This book provides a clear and wonderfully interesting intro to geology. It is one of the best intro texts out there!

I purchased this in the belief that it was the textbook.
It wasnt.
It has nice pictures but are kind of useless.

As I never received the book it would be impossible to review it. I now have a claim in against the seller.