Earth: Portrait of a Planet [With Earth: Portrait of a Planet CD]

My college Geology 101 class required the 3rd edition of this book. It was $96 and this book (the 2nd Edition) was only $7. I had no problems in the class and finished out with an A-. Save yourself the money and get this book. Well worth it.

The book was sent to me in about 2 weeks, and it was in the exact condition they said it would be.

This book is indeed the best introduction to geology you can ever get. It has the most fundamental knowlegde and at the same time it includes a higher level. So it is for all people with an interest in geology. If you are a student and even if you are a normal person with great interest this book will become your favorite. It combins beautyful pictures with nice drawings and great text. It gives a good picture of what it is like to be a geologist and what the work includes. Simply: you get the best of geology!! Injoy:o)

The sub-title 'Portrait of a Planet' gives you some idea of what this book is all about. It is almost a coffee table picture book, filled with photographs of the earth. Yet at the same time its first edition became the text book of choice at over 300 colleges and universities around the world. This is the brand new second edition. The new edition has taken comments about the previous edition, integrated them with the results of recent discoveries and more examples, photographs, art work, and text to make the second edition even better. Each chapter of the first edition was sent to an expert reviewer (a world leader on that particular subject) for comment. The biggest change in the new edition is to stress plate tectonics earlier and stronger to provide the underlying theory that covers most of current geologic thinking. I also like his explanation of the oil situation. He looks at alternatives and points out that we may well be living in a unique time of history.

This book provides a clear and wonderfully interesting intro to geology. It is one of the best intro texts out there!