The History of the Earth: An Illustrated Chronicle of Our Planet

Usually most history books are as dry as the dust with which they deal. But with THE HISTORY OF EARTH, Hartmann & Miller tackle with vast success a topic that is only marginally understood,at best, by the layman. And make no mistake; this history is for the layman, but one who has a desire to know where we come from and where we may be going. Part of the learning process involves digesting a flood of data and making sense of it. Hartman & Miller use dozens of drawings, pictures, and mattes to bring to life a series of threads that they weave into a coherent whole. What the authors reveal is a planet that may well stand unique in the universe. The precious element called life arose on earth in such a fortuitous manner that the odds of life having spontaneously arisen in any form were so staggeringly improbable that I marvel that I am here right now to pen these words. Yet, life did arise here, and Miller & Hartmann trace the long sequence of twists and convolutions stretching from the Precambrian right up to the present day. Most readers who go to the trouble of buying this book probably took a course or two in Earth History in school. What this book provides is a much longer and more comprehensible version of the geological timeline that readers have seen but failed to grasp. After finishing this work (I read it as if it were a novel), I concluded that if we here on earth are truly alone in the cosmos, then we had better take full advantage of our having won the Cosmic Lottery. We are not likely to win twice.

This book was wonderful in that it gave me a valuable and easily understandable introduction to earth science, evolution, plate tectonics and planetary science, to name a few subjects. The only glaring mistake in the book, which I recognised because I am a biologist, is that the author refers to DNA as being made up of amino acids. This is incorrect. Proteins are made of amino acids; DNA and RNA are composed of nucleotides, entities completely different from amino acids. Despite this problem, the book is still excellent reading. I am buying several copies to give as gifts to family.

As a trained engineer and educator, I've scanned, read and studied many books on science. This is far and away the best I've ever seen. As magnificent as the painted illustrations are, they simply match and support the superb quality of the text itself.Covering the full range of natural history, "The History of Earth" not only explains how the earth and life evolved, but explains how we gained this knowledge, or why we believe it to be so. Where multiple theories exist to explain something, they are each given fair coverage, with the evidence for and against each theory explained. But most important, the book is accessible to all adults as well as to children. I began reading it (with some side explanation) to our kids when they were 7 and 10, and they loved it. The book begins with an explanation of the formation of the Earth and Moon, describes the likely origins of life on our planet, and explains the changing environment and how that led to the origin of life. This is followed by in-depth treatment of the evolution of the diverse lifeforms leading to today's species, and excellent coverage of recent and current geological phenomena. The book concludes with a projection of the likely future of the earth over the next billion years or so.I cannot praise this work highly enough. If you only buy one science book for you or your kids, this is the one you want.

This is, and remains, one of the best books I have ever read about the long history of our Earth. Beginning from the brief introduction of the history of geology and the creation of the solar system, to its predicted end, this is a clearly written, beautifully illustrated book.It is clear enough to educate and involve the novice, while sufficiently technical and detailed for the experienced geologist. While now seven years old, much of the contents are still resonant today, and many of the theories presented are borne out today.It's storytelling style and willingness to cover all the details and controversies of an issue, from the Great Dying, to the formation of the moon make this a terrific and interesting read. Combined with the book The Discoverers, you can paint for yourself a wonderful portrait of our world and our civilization. Enjoy.