Customer Reviews

The Encyclopedia of Earth: A Complete Visual Guide

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Presented in a similar style to the same publisher's The Encyclopedia of Animals: A Complete Visual Guide that I reviewed some time ago, this book focuses on the planet itself rather than the life to be found on it, although it does not avoid life entirely. The book is divided into six sections, these being birth (the origin and a brief history and description of the universe and our solar system, together with a chapter on the emergence of life), fire (including the Earth`s core, volcanoes, thermal springs, earthquakes and tsunamis), land (see next paragraph), air (the atmosphere, wind, climate and weather), water (oceans, seas, rivers, waterfalls, wetlands, swamps, lakes and the marine environment but not glaciers, which are covered in a different section) and humans (looking at how people have used and sometimes abused the planet and what the future might bring).

The section on land is, understandably, the biggest. It covers rocks, minerals, soils, landforms and biomes. While the first three subsections describe the ingredients, the subsection on landforms describes the form they take and how they change. It is interesting to note that glaciers are included here rather than in the section on water. More predictably, the subsection on landforms explains weathering, erosion, rock falls, landslides, canyons, river deltas, mountains, valleys, plains, plateaux, coasts and caves. The subsection on biomes explains tundra, forests, deserts and other types of land environment.

The book is well illustrated with plenty of photographs and diagrams as well as many interesting facts and opinions. There was a time when a book of this type might have stuck to the facts alone (or at least to the best educated guess about the past based on known information), but the final section dealing with people inevitably strays beyond fact into opinion, especially when predicting the future. Regardless of whether you share these opinions or not, there is plenty of good factual information in this book to make it worth having on your bookshelf.

What a wonderful and comprehensive study of our world. This book is so dense, diverse, and beautiful. Every aspect of our world is explored in an easy to grasp format. The reading grips an adult, the illustrations make it child accessible, the depth of coverage makes it a book that invites constant return.

Being a college graduate of 35+ years ago I thought that I may be going a bit overboard in my praise. So I introduced this book to groups of astronomers, archaeologists, and doctors. They all were fascinated. Cool.

So parents, instead of shopping all around for a book that may interest one or another child's curiosity, perhaps you can save a bunch and buy this book. It will spark interest in people of many inclinations and maybe point out a possible life path.

`The Encyclopedia of Earth: A Complete Visual Guide' is an attractive and comprehensive look at many aspects of the natural events and geological formations on earth. It covers a wide range of topics and the main chapters are Birth, Fire, Land, Air, Water and Humans and each of these chapters are further subdivided. This looks at earths place in the universe and solar system, how it was formed and what it is made of, the atmosphere and climate, oceans, sea and lakes and how humans have impacted upon the environment and way more besides. All of this is presented in a clear and attractive format with beautiful images and photography throughout. Due to it's size and hardcover this would make a wonderful coffee table book, but to be honest you could quite easily sit and read it from cover to cover (as long as you've got strong arms to hold it up, or don't mind placing it on your lap!). This is also great to dip into at odd moments and I never fail to be delighted by each little snippet I read or piece of information I pick up. This isn't quite up to the standard of the DK range of books, but it is a very very close second and if reference books of this type interest you then this is well worth considering.

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I'm a fifth grade teacher and this book is a big hit in my classroom. Great for research or silent reading.

I'm a huge Geology fan! I can't get enough of it, and I saw this book the other day in a store! It's a fantastic book! It goes over all the things I learned in my Geology classes (i.e. types of faults, volcanoes, streams, etc) and much, much more! This book is comprehensive and has great photos! It's perfect for anyone who is interested in the earth and how it forms and works! Wonderful book!

The book is beautiful. I bought it for my father, who said upon receiving it that it was a beautiful book and I should get it for myself, so I've now purchased two. It would make a wonderful gift.

It's simply a great book for people who are interested in the formation of the earth and natural history such as volcanology to cosmology. Very well illustrated.

This is really a gorgeous, comprehensive book (you can find the table of contents at the UC Press Website). Laid out with pictures/charts/diagrams like the DK books. Well worth the Amazon discounted price.