Earth Story: The Shaping of Our World [Hardcover]

Simon Lamb (Author), David Sington (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1998

When and how was the Earth formed? What is the link between earthquakes, volcanoes and the creation of the continents? How do mountains affect our climate? What triggers Ice Ages? This book and the accompanying television series answer these and many other questions, telling the amazing story of our planet and its constantly changing nature.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this companion to an eight-part BBC series to be broadcast on The Learning Channel beginning in September, geologist Lamb and filmmaker/author Sington (Paradise Dreamed) share their passion for our planet and the diverse life it supports. With clear prose, vivid images and enlightening illustrations, their book lays out the current scientific understanding of Earth's history, most of it deduced from the chemical and physical characteristics of its rocks. The authors show how the planet's layers of crust, mantle, outer core and inner core are fluid and ever-changing. Also described is the process by which new seafloor oozes upward through cracks in mid-ocean ridges, where superheated, percolating water emerges full of mineral riches. The continents move inexorably, driven by internal convection currents, colliding and rifting apart, forming new patterns and terrain, inducing dramatic changes in climate. In the end, this deftly organized book brings readers to the authors' view of our world as an interacting system of atmosphere, water, tectonic plates in motion and living organisms. Lamb and Sington explain how each component is essential to the global balance that has enabled Earth to remain a living planet for at least 3.8 billion of its 4.55 billion years. Not just a coffee-table book, this compelling and accessible account merits sustained attention.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

A visual feast through which our planet speaks to us, a true bridge between Science and Art. -- K. Bernhard Sporli , Meteorite

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr (September 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691002290
• ISBN-13: 978-0691002293
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 9.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,003,311 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First-class!, July 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Earth Story: The Shaping of Our World (Hardcover)

This is a must-have! I'm a geologist myself and although Ihaven't seen the television series on which the book is based (I haveno tv), most of my colleagues were watching and raving about it with great admiration. The book was immediately ordered for the library of our institution.

But don't take my word for it!

On June 2, 1999 David Sington, who is the producer and writer of the series and co-writer of the book, received the Sullivan Award at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston. The Sullivan Award is presented annually by the American Geophysical Union (AGU) for reporting that makes earth science accessible and interesting to the general public. It is named for its first winner, the late Walter Sullivan of The New York Times. Sington was the first broadcaster and first non-American to win the award in its 11 year history.

His name is associated with other great works related to geology and other sciences as well. Both authors know what they're talking about and had co-operated with many scientists on this production. A wide range of geological issues is tackled and they're all tackled admirably.

And I'm not in any way associated with the authors either. I'm just very happy to see earth science treated this way. END

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Origins Explained, August 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Earth Story: The Shaping of Our World (Hardcover)

As a person who never studied much science, I have always been interested in the origins our world and how it came into being. The theories of earth science were explained thoroughly even to a layman like myself. This book has convinced me to delve even deeper into geology and seek the answers to the creation of my local surroundings. I now wish had chosen my university courses differently when I was younger. Bravo!!

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting and full of information on many subjects., August 8, 1999

By 

David (Nashville, Tennessee) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Earth Story: The Shaping of Our World (Hardcover)

This book is great if you are looking to explore the origins of the earth, and what makes the earth work. It explains all the steps that made life on earth possible. Each chapter contains thorough information on different subjects from the ice-age to the actuall formation of the solar-system itself. I think this is an awsome book. I understood all of it and I am 15!!! Buy this book!! Its great!!