Customer Reviews

Historical Geology (with CengageNOW Printed Access Card)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book was designed to provide materials for a one semester course in historical geology for both majors and non-majors. Its nineteen chapters focus on three themes: Plate Tectonics, Physical and Biological History (the history of Earth's physical features, systems, and the life forms that have inhabited it), and Evolution. The authors have done a very good job in making the text readable and I believe it can be read enjoyably and to great benefit by an interested general reader outside of class. At least I found it fascinating and informative. The text uses photos, diagrams, charts, and all kinds of illustrations to enhance the reader's understanding of what is being said. There is also a useful CD to supplement the text. And Thomson has provided a website with even more things to read and do.

Each chapter provides an outline of what is going to be discussed, a bulleted set of chapter objectives, an introduction, and the chapter materials. The intra-chapter material is presented to questions asked in the headings of each section. The chapters also have little boxes entitled "What Would You Do?" that try to ask practical questions about real life issues that are related to the material being discussed. Each chapter ends with a bulleted Summary section, a list of important terms (that usefully has the page number where that term was used) and review questions that are multiple choice and short essay types. There is also an Apply Your Knowledge section with a few problems for the student (reader) to think about and practically apply what has been learned in that chapter. Some also have Field Questions that ask questions about a photograph, figure or table provided or referred to in the text.

Chapters 1-4 lay out the systems in the Earth and how the changes its systems affect each other. They talk about the basic materials that make up the Earth, Plate Tectonics, and Geologic Time. Chapters 5 and 6 talk about Rocks, Fossils and how they fit into the time scale of the Earth - and a look at what sedimentary rocks are and how they record the history of life on Earth.

Chapters 7-9 talk about Evolution, its evidences, and early life during the Precambrian period (separate chapters for the Archean Eon and the Proterozoic Eon). Chapters 10-13 cover the Paleozoic. The Mesozoic is covered in Chapters 14 and 15, the Cenozoic in 16-18, and Chapter 19 covers Primate and Human Evolution.

Appendix A is a metric conversion chart, Appendix B lays out the classification of organisms, and Appendix C discusses mineral identification. There is a useful glossary and a helpful index. Between the glossary and index there is a page with the answers to each chapter's multiple choice questions.

This is an interesting, well written, and useful text that is useful for all readers interested in this subject and I am happy to recommend it.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

This most recent edition includes an updated planetary system as well as an improved structure of the geologic time scale. It is, however, ridiculously expensive when compared to the older edition. In my opinion,I do not believe that it is worth the added cost.

For a hundred and fifty bucks, a reader has a right to expect something REALLY spectacular in a textbook, and this one just doesn't provide the goods. It's a competent book, readable, well organized and quite well-illustrated, but technically shallow in most subject areas and (in my opinion) definitely not worth the asking price. If the book has been recommended to you elsewhere, try and pick it up used from one of the sellers listed on this site. (Don't pay more than eighty or ninety bucks, though, unless you absolutely need it for a class.)

My personal recommendation: "Evolution of the Earth" by Donald Prothero. About the same price, but I believe that it offers a more comprehensive presentation. (I'm willing to concede that I may be coming down too hard on Wicander's book, though; he may have intended it as a more general introduction.)

I couldn't justify spending $170 on a paperback this small. I bought the international edition for $45 and it seems to be exactly the same except the cover art is different. I have been using it all semester without a problem.

This book "Historical Geology" is well put together. I for one will follow this authors work in later semesters if given the option.
I found this to be not only well organized, but also entertaining in a sense that helps me comprehend and retain what I have read.

Arrived just before school started. Just ordered it during a Bad time of the year (Christmas) so I had to wait for it a little longer. But when it arrived it was is good condition with a little water damage but its on the corner so it effects none of the print at all.

It's a very easy-to-understand textbook, yet there are many spelling errors and at least one obvious grammatical error just in the first five chapters. It's like everything was written in a bit of a rush and nobody proofread the material.

Update: Sadly, I've found that spelling and grammatical errors (mainly with commas) continue after the fifth chapter. But like I said, it's very easy to understand the material, regardless of these mistakes, and the content is not bogged down with useless material.

Book was in great condition, better than I actually expected. Got the book in a timely fashion, only 4 or 5 business days! Awesome.

Do you want to know how good/usefull this book/textbook is? Let me to put it this way. 3 books in one book.In many cases you are on your own. The author tried to put the history of geology in a tiny book. This is going to be a very usefull book/textbook "IF AND ONLY IF" you have a PhD in geology with more than 50 years of teaching experience OR you are a geology expert with more than a 100-years of experience.

The book is very user friendly and explains Historical geology in a learning way