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A collection of essays dealing with such topics as volcanic island chains, the physical properties of minerals, El Nino, and ozone holes.

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Library Journal Review

This second set of volumes in the publisher's survey series (the first was a 5-volume set on space exploration, published last year) is intended to provide easy-to-understand and quickly accessible information on all branches of earth science, including geology, oceanography, climatology, astronomy, and environmental issues. The extremely well-written articles, over 370 in number, cover the origin, evolution, composition, and processes of the Earth and human influences over the same. Each article, about seven pages long, begins with a statement of how the topic is related to the overall discipline. This is followed by a definition of principal terms, a summary of the phenomena or methodology, research applications, a selective and annotated bibliography, and cross references to related topics. The fifth volume contains a useful glossary and a comprehensive index. A somewhat comparable publication is the ongoing multi-volume, multi-year project from Van Nostrand Reinhold, entitled the Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences, which is more detailed and contains innumerable illustrations and maps. This of course does not detract from the utility of the volumes under review as an up-to-date ready-reference source on an increasingly important discipline. Recommended for academic and large public libraries.-- Sarojini Balachandran, Auburn Univ. Lib., Ala. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

The second in a series of five planned surveys of various sciences is a welcome library addition for the non scientist wishing to learn about earth sciences without being inundated by statistics and jargon. The Magill Earth Science Series survey articles are more expansive and detailed than those in the McGraw Hill Encyclopedia of the Geological Sciences (CH, Jun'79) and easier to read than the specialized volumes of the "Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series," ed. by R.W. Fairbridge et al., which are written for professionals. In all, the 377 articles average 7 pages in length and are divided into summaries of the phenomena and methods of study. Written by professional geologists, the articles cover a diverse range of topics pertaining to the origin, evolution, composition, and processes affecting, and affected by, human beings. Each chapter contains a short bibliography and cross-references. Category lists occur in each volume, with a subject index and glossary appearing in the final volume. Highly recommended for all public and academic libraries, community college and onward. -J. C. Stachacz, Dickinson College