Full Text Review(s)

"The 2d edition of the Encyclopedia of Earth and Physical Sciences intends to describe major earth and physical science topics presented in alphabetically arranged articles that can be of interest to anyone, with or without a science background. It strives to provide established and more recent scientific information about everyday phenomena.
Like the 1st edition (see ARBA 99, entry 1514), this 2d edition is beautifully illustrated, mostly in color, with photographs, diagrams, and charts embedded in easy-to-read, signed articles, which vary in length from 1-25 pages. The general format facilitates the transmission of information through a concise definition at the head of each article, core facts boxes, cross-references to other articles, and side boxes with supplementary material. The editorial board consists of authoritative people from museums, universities, and hospitals. The 2d edition has been expanded to 13 volumes. There are 74 more articles, including new topics and a new category of articles about significant scientists. For easy reference, all volumes now include an updated periodic table and a chart of physical constants and units. The well-written articles have obviously been reviewed and revised, the cross-references expanded, and the lists of further readings updated. In the index volume, the "Internet Resources" list has been enlarged and the geologic time scale has been updated.
This work is recommended for public libraries, school libraries, community college libraries, and even home libraries. It would be useful for specific research and users may also find it fascinating to browse through any of the volumes."

"This work covers a broad range of timely topics including global warming, string theory, and GIS, in addition to various biographies and geoscience-related topics. Though this encyclopedia is intended for "high school and above," this reviewer would rate it as suitable for grade school through high school. Possibly a college freshman might derive some background information, but there are more suitable academic resources. The colorful images and highlighted special topics will appeal to readers with shorter attention spans. Areas for further discussion include, e.g., science and society, discoverers, the history of science and its future, and related stories. The high-quality graphics are well selected (supplemented with some original but simple artwork). The facts can be somewhat traditional or misleading. The explanation of the formation of Carlsbad Cavers, for example, employs an older theory that would be correct for Mammoth Caves, but omits the role of archaea bacteria using sulfur as an energy source. The carving mechanism is actually sulfuric and not related to carbonic acid. The "connections" and "core facts" meant to take the user to related entries would be far more helpful as hyperlinks in an electronic edition. For example, material on the fundamental forces of nature is repeated within the entries for forces, gravity, and string theory. The cost of this new edition represents a 42 percent increase since the 1998 one. The binding is library quality, which probably adds to the fairly high price tag. The physical binding will far outlast the content. Summing Up: Optional. Lower-level undergraduates and general readers"

"This updated edition covers the major topics in the earth and physical science, adding two volumes and over 100 new articles. The signed articles appear in alphabetical order from Absolute zero to Zinc . The topics are intended to meet the needs of a high-school curriculum, but they would also be useful for a layperson with an interest in the subject. The articles are easy to read and would be well-suited to high-school students with little or no background knowledge.
The appealing layout features large illustrations and photographs, in color and in black and white, on every two-page spread. Each of the 500 articles begins with a definition and ideas for making connections within the earth and physical sciences. Articles that are more than a single page in length also include a "core facts" box that highlights key information using a bulleted format. Also appearing throughout the encyclopedia are five different types of "feature boxes" that offer supplemental information. These boxes examine topics of interest in more depth, highlight important scientists, present pertinent history, discuss the future of certain topics, and highlight aspects of the earth and physical sciences that have applications in many parts of public life. Each article concludes with see also references and a listing of books, articles, and Web sites for further information. Each volume is 144 pages in length and includes a table of contents and an index. Volume 1 also includes a thematic outline of the contents.
The final volume contains a comprehensive index, as well as the periodic table, a geologic timescale, conversion tables and useful physical constants, lists of Nobel Prize winners in Chemistry and Physics, a glossary, and a listing of resources for further reading and research. There are also specific topic indexes for chemistry, environment and physical geography, geology and mineralogy, mathematics, meteorology, oceanography, physics, space science, and people.
This comprehensive resource is recommended for high school, undergraduate, and public libraries."