Based on a PBS television series of the same name, this book is a compendium of facts and theories about all facets of earth science. The authors have assembled a tremendous amount of information on geology, paleontology, meteorology, geography, and more for the general reader. They lead off with theories about the formation of the earth and the first appearance of life on the planet; in subsequent chapters, they examine human interaction with the environment and its subsequent destruction. Written in a breezy, readable style and filled with photographs, this book will entertain as well as inform. This is not a work in which to seek in-depth discussion of any particular aspect of the earth sciences, but it is a good place to start.- Randy Dykhuis, OCLC, Dublin, OhioCopyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
