The most comprehensive single volume of frequently needed information on science available, this extensive reference is authoritative, up-to-date, and easy-to-use, spanning ten separate disciplines as well as related fields. Includes 350 charts, tables, graphs, and illustrations.
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Considering this volume is a mere 668 pages, it does a remarkable job of covering the major concepts and facts of biology, human anatomy, chemistry, physics, astronomy, Earth sciences, meteorology, environmental sciences, and engineering. Not surprising, as it was written by the New York Public Library staff who know what questions are most frequently asked by a knowledge-hungry public.
The ultimate test of such a reference volume is scrutiny of areas with which one is intimately familiar, then reading up on areas about which one is woefully ignorant. This book passed both tests: The biology chapter was sound (though I wanted much more information about evolutionary principles), and the section on particle physics was informative. Even if you already have a collection of several thousand books covering most of the sciences (like myself), this is a handy reference. And if you're a student or want access to a lot of scientific knowledge in the smallest possible non-digital package, this resource is essential for those times when you simply can't get to the library.
From Library Journal
From formulas to the periodic table of the elements, from a list of endangered animals to computer terminology, this is an excellent sourcebook of scientific information. You could not find a more comprehensive and readable desk-sized one-volume science encyclopedia. Thirteen chapters cover major divisions of science (e.g., astronomy, biology, chemistry, computer and environmental sciences, technology) listing basic facts, formulas, terms, and processes. One additional chapter lists "useful resources" such as books, organizations, museums, zoos, national parks, and planetariums. This is more of a reference book than the Carnegie Library's Science and Technology Desk Reference (LJ 3/15/93), which contains "1500 answers to frequently asked questions" such as which dog breeds are the most dangerous. Clearly written and well indexed, this will be an excellent reference book for all school and public libraries. Highly recommended for all ages.?Laura E. Lipton, Ctr. for Urban Horticulture, Seattle
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Does What It's Supposed To Do,
By A Customer
This review is from: The New York Public Library Science Desk Reference (The New York Public Library Series) (Paperback)
This Book, along with the rest of the New York Public Library Desk References, provides a good overview of a broad category that requires thousands of text books and research papers to cover in any depth. It is a great kicking off place for research into a myriad of science oriented fields. It's too bad that some students don't understand the value of this sort of reference book. To expect it to cover in depth all of the fields that it addresses shows a misunderstanding of the purpose of an encyclopedic reference. It gives one a start on his or her in-depth research, and provides enough information for many investigations. I found it to be a most useful reference book. It is also a very convenient one volume source of most conversion tables and equivalents. Want to convert furlongs per fortnight to miles per hour? With the information included here you can do it. I cannot end this review without commenting on the statement made by one reviewer that he had covered all this material in his high school science classes. What an amazing science department to cover everything from Astronomy to Evolutionary Theory to Genetics to Nuclear and Quantum Physics to Environmental Sciences to Space Exploration and to Paleontology to name but a few. I'd like to send my children to his or her school.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE BASICS OF THE MOST COMMONLY STUDIED SCIENCES,
By
This review is from: The New York Public Library Science Desk Reference (The New York Public Library Series) (Paperback)
What should one expect from a reference book that covers such a broad subject as "Science/"1. A breakdown into various fields of science. 2. Some idea of why each field of science is important. 3. Basic concepts within each field 4.Biographical information about men and women who have made key contributions to the field under discussion. 5. Historical highlights within the field under discussion 6. Terminology used in each field. 7. Lists of additional sources of information available to the researcher in need of more in-depth information. How well does THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE DESK REFERENCE meet these criteria? It is broken down into 14 major categories; 3 categories of general information -- "Scientific Measurement," Scientific Symbols and Signs," and "Time." The next 10 sections are devoted to specific fields of science such as "Biology," "Physics," and "Environmental Science." The final section is devoted to "Useful Science Resources" such as zoos, museums, scientific organizations, et al. Using the section on Chemistry as an example, each section is broken down into subsections along these lines: A general definition of Chemistry A listing of the generally recognized branches of Chemistry (Analytical, Bio-, Geo-, etc.) Classifications, Atomic Structures, States of Matter, Periodic Table of the Elements, and many others An alphabetical listing of key contributors to the field of Chemistry throughout history A chronological listing of key discoveries in Chemistry from 600 B. C. to the present A list of common terms used in Chemistry Finally, a list of 8 sources (Text Books, Scientific Papers, etc.) of additional information for those who wish to go into a more detailed study of a particular aspect of Chemistry. This same type of information is provided in the section devoted to each of the other main categories of science. It is my opinion that this book provides exactly the sort of information that one might expect from a one volume reference book covering such a broad field, and, through its sections on additional sources of information, provides the information needed by a student or researcher who wishes to delve deeper into a specific subject.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Only appropriate for the general, non-science public,
By Christopher Moore (chris_moore@hotmail.com) (California or New Hampshire, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The New York Public Library Science Desk Reference (The New York Public Library Series) (Paperback)
I found this book to cover quite a few fine areas of science. However, its treatment of the topics was regularly light and simple. Attempting to learn about proteins, I learned only of their existence and their purpose, nothing about their variety or the nature of the polypeptide system, etc. It is a nice book (though a bit pricy) for perhaps younger children, but for any amount of depth, this is not the one.
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