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Library Journal Review
These two volumes combine 360 essays on the earth sciences, which the editor claims "encompass not only the sciences of the solid Earth, the oceanographic and atmospheric sciences, and the biological sciences, but also the study of our solar system and its place in the galaxy and the universe." That's a lot to bite off for just two volumes, especially with all the new discoveries of the past few decades (e.g., plate tectonics, space exploration). Some topics (e.g., population growth) have been omitted, while others (e.g., global positioning systems and the search for extraterrestrial life) are well covered. Each of the 360 entries is written and signed by an expert and includes a bibliography. There is also an excellent 80-page index, 50 short biographies of notable scientists, and several pages on careers in earth sciences. The target audience is high school and up. Though an excellent addition to reference collections, with almost no competitors, it would have been more attractive with more illustrations in a field so rich with possibilities.Laura E. Lipton, Ctr. for Urban Horticulture, Seattle, Wash. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
CHOICE Review
The strengths of this set are its breadth of coverage and the backgrounds of most of the authors. The articles include biographies, a history of subdisciplines, and a full range of earth science topics from the earth's interior to the ocean floor to satellites of Pluto. Paleontology is also covered. Most of the articles are written by scholars prominent in the field, but are accessible to nonspecialists. They are individual essays rather than brief encyclopedia entries, creating problems of quality and organization. There are black-and white-illustrations for some entries, a limited number of color plates, and occasional tables displaying data. References conclude each entry. A useful section provides measurements and conversions. The set has a number of shortcomings. Although the topics are broad, stricter criteria for inclusion might have made the set more useful. The biographical entries are inconsistent; some very significant names are included, while others, although possibly interesting, are anomalies in a work of this length. The history of subdisciplines seems poorly focused and might have been omitted. The main articles, although usually well written, often lack supporting visual documentation. Editorial decisions concerning location of topics are sometimes difficult to understand, but that is often the case with encyclopedias. Among similar titles, Magill's Survey of Science: Earth Science Series (CH, Oct'90) and McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of the Geological Sciences (2nd ed., 1988) are still available, although both are older by several years. The present set costs less than half Magill's, although it is less focused, and provides more information than the single-volume, less expensive McGraw-Hill but is not so well illustrated. This set provides in a single place a significant amount of information and offers some very interesting and well-written entries. Recommended for collections that need an easily accessible overview of the earth sciences. J. W. Green University of South Carolina--Spartanburg
Booklist Review
This new encyclopedia provides coverage of such sciences as oceanography, meteorology, paleontology, and astronomy. The 360 entries fall into five broad areas of study: solid earth processes; surficial earth processes; earth resources and stewardship; earth sciences in the public eye; and earth in space. Typical articles include Earth's Magnetic Field, Earth as a Dynamic System, and Magma. Environmental topics include Extinctions, Land Degradation and Desertification, and Pollution of Groundwater Aquifers. "Earth in Space" entries cover the advances in our knowledge of the solar system. Representative essays include Earth-Moon System, Earliest History of; Apollo Astronauts; and Extraterrestrial Life, Search for. There are essays on each of the planets in the solar system as well. Ten interesting articles discuss careers in various subfields of the earth sciences. Entries discuss the participation of minorities and women in these sciences. Interspersed with the topical essays are 50 biographies on Charles Lyell, Willard Libby, Edwin Hubble, Rachel Carson, and other notable earth scientists of the past. The editor, E. Julius Dasch, is manager of the National Space Grant University Program at NASA. The contributors are a mixture of academics and scientists working in government labs and museums. The essays run from several paragraphs to several pages. Each is signed and includes a bibliography of scholarly references. The reading level of most articles is appropriate for high-school and college students. A few essays, such as Geothermometry and Geobarometry, use a lot of mathematics to explain a principle. But many articles will be of interest to and accessible to laypeople; for example, Global Positioning Satellites, Geographical Information Systems, and Automated Mapping. There are numerous cross-references, and an 81-page index provides comprehensive access to articles. The 200 line drawings, 100 black-and-white photos, plus 2 eight-page color inserts are clear but not particularly attractive. A table of geologic timescale, a table listing estimates of the composition of the earth, and tables of measurements and conversions are added features. The one-volume McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of the Geological Sciences was last published in 1988. The 16-volume Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences published by Van Nostrand is aimed at a more scholarly readership. The purchase of the current and readable Macmillan Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences is highly recommended for academic, public, and high-school libraries.
