Book Description

Miller's LIVING IN THE ENVIRONMENT, 13th Edition is a science-based book designed for introductory courses in environmental science. Tyler Miller is the most successful author in environmental science instruction because of his attention to currency, trend-setting presentation, outstanding student and instructor supplements, and his ability to retain and refine the pedagological hallmarks on which instructors have come to depend. In this edition Miller has added an on-line Web- based resource, entitled the Resource Integration Guide, which is updated quarterly with CNN® Today video clips, animations, and articles from InfoTrac® College Edition.Instructors can seamlessly incorporate current news articles and research findings to support classroom instruction. And, for the first time ever, students will receive a complementary CD-ROM entitled Interactive Concepts in Environmental Science. This groundbreaking addition integrates nearly 100 engaging animations and interactions with chapter summaries, flashcards, and Web-based quizzes. Organized by chapter, students will find links to relevant resources, narrated animations, interactive figures and prompts to review material and test themselves. The content in the Thirteenth Edition of LIVING IN THE ENVIRONMENT is everything you have come to expect and more. There is more information on ecology and basic science than ever before. Instructors can continue to expect high quality end-of-chapter questions, an orientation toward solutions and prevention rather than clean-up,the integration of Web resources, and balanced presentation of controversial ideas that are supported through Pro/Con diagrams and discussions. ... Read more

Book Description

Earth Science offers a reader-friendly overview of our physical environment for the reader with little or no exposure to science. The emphasis is on readability, with clear explanations and examples, superb illustrations by the renowned Dennis Tasa, and an incredible collection of full color photographs and topographical maps.Topics covered in this highly readable and interesting book are geology, oceanography, astronomy, and meteorology.For readers needing a basic informational book about Earth Science. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Awesome, not quite college level
I'm using this book for a high school freshman year Earth Sci class, and I love it. It's very readable and clear, with appropriate diagrams that help understanding. It also avoids doing what lots of high school textbooks do, which is showing lots of weird-looking kids in plain T-shirts doing experiments in a doomed attempt to appeal to students. I've learned a lot with this book :)

A great book covering everything
This textbook is one of the best scientific books I have seen. Not only does it cover earth science (like geology), but astronomy and meteorology also. It covers every topic that you possibly want to know about. The authors leave no information out. I had to use this for Science Olympiad, and it helped me so much. The explanations are great, the images beautiful, and the diagrams very helpful. I would suggest this for anyone that has an interest in Earth Science or Meteorology. It is a great book. ... Read more

Book Description

Each chapter has been thoroughly revised to reflect the changing cultural, political, and physical landscape of our world.
Increased coverage of environmental change and the risks that the planet faces with 6.2 billion people.
This new eleventh edition places more emphasis on critical thinking, human geography and environmental issues. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Authors biased towards India.
In the chapter about South Asia, the authors have written quite a lot about the "Kashmir problem" but not once have they mentioned the ethnic cleasing of 350,000 Kashmiri Hindus that took place in 1990. I just cannot believe that they don't know about this.

Nice features -- but disorganized
It reads okay, but it is difficult to retrieve information as a resource for homework. The topics are inconsistant from chapter to chapter and are not oriented to the geographical topics defined in the Intro.

The topical structure needs to be rewritten to make it a better resource. ... Read more

Reviews (27)

The proof is in your hands
Proof that our technologically advanced, high-consumption industrial system can make environmentally sound and sustainable products. We can manufacture a whole range of goods that are ecologically efficient in that they reduce waste and yet are less expensive to make than traditionally manufactured items. Pick up CRADLE TO CRADLE and the proof is right there in your hands. "This book is not a tree" the authors tell us. Its slightly heavier than your average paperback, the pages are whiter and they're also waterproof (I took the authors word on that one and am happy to say I was able to read on). The pages are made from plastic resins and fillers and in keeping with the message of "eliminating waste", the book is 100% recyclable.

McDonough and Braungart's vision of "Remaking the Way We Make Things" goes way beyond books. Why not buildings that produce more energy than they consume? Or "green" roofs that give off oxygen while cooling the occupants? How about factories that produce drinkable effluent? or products that when their useful life is over can be used as nutrients for soil? What sounds like science fiction is convincingly shown to be quite feasible by the authors. They offer numerous examples to prove it.

"We see a world of abundance, not limits" they say. As an architect (McDonough) and chemist (Braungart) they don't have any special qualifications for this re-thinking and re-doing. What they simply have done is re-imagine the whole manufacturing process beginning with the design elements. Sometimes it's simply a matter of asking the right questions and looking at things differently. They are not talking about smaller-scale industry or limiting themselves to the "four R's" of traditional environmentalism - reuse, recycle, reduce, and regulate. With their intelligent designs, "bigger and better" is possible "in a way that replenishes, restores, and nourishes the rest of the world."

McDonough and Braungart cover topics such as the history of the industrial revolution, new business strategies that emphasize eco-efficiency, the relationship between man, nature, and science, and the importance of design and planning. Hopeful, well written, thoroughly researched, and packed with practical examples, this refreshing book offers an alternative to our current industrial system that "takes, makes and wastes". We have the talent, technology, and with the enthusiasm of these authors, we have the capability to achieve economic and ecological sustainability.

People and their stuff CAN co-exist
At 1-1/4 lbs, "Cradle to Cradle" is more than twice as heavy as a same-size paperback edition of John Steinbeck's "The Winter of Our Discontent" and the fact is more than incidental.

"Remaking the Way We Make Things", the book's subtitle, is the social agenda of its authors, architect Bill McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart. They take issue with the three R's of environmentalism, "reduce, reuse and recycle." The process by which plastic bottles are recycled into carpet, for example, also produces considerable waste and the carpet itself "is still on its way to a landfill; it's just stopping off in your house en route."

The authors advocate designing products so that after their useful lives, either the product components provide biological nutrients for new products or circulate in a closed industrial loop.

The Yanomamo of Brazil whose banana soup dish may contain the ashes of their dearly departed was one source of inspiration for Braungart and McDonough was moved by the simple, natural and effective technology of the Bedouin whose goat hair tents ventilate hot air up and out and, when it rains, swell with absorbed moisture and provide protection.

The authors are walking the talk with the physical design of this new book. It is made of a waterproof polymer developed by Melcher Media so it can be read in the bath or at the beach, provided you have sufficient wrist strength to hoist it to viewing level. And the book can be "upcycled", made into a high quality polymer, at least theoretically. Until such time, place this book on the shelf above your hot tub next to Aqua Erotica, a collection of stories dealing with water and sex, another book of "Durabook" construction.

Undoubtedly, an electronic edition of the book would be most eco-effective. Also, a digital version would be searchable and might compensate for lack of an index. Despite its flaws as a model, it offers a vision of the future in which people and their stuff can co-exist.

Highly Recommended!
This is an extraordinary and unlikely book. It is not printed on paper, but on a waterproof polymer with the heft of good paper and more strength, a substance that reflects the right amount of light, yet holds the ink fast. It seems like an impossible fantasy, but so does much of what the authors propose about design and ecology. They speak with the calm certainty of the ecstatic visionary. Could buildings generate oxygen like trees? Could running shoes release nutrients into the earth? It seems like science fiction. Yet, here is this book, on this paper. The authors make a strong case for change, and just when you're about to say, "if only," they cite a corporation that is implementing their ideas. However, it's hard to believe their concepts would work on a large scale, in the face of powerful economic disincentives. We believe authors do aim some of their criticism at obsolete marketing and manufacturing philosophies, but the overall critique is well worth reading.

Interesting ideas
This book is a sometimes interesting, often meandering treatise on design. The authors, and American architect and a German chemist, have a very sincere desire to realign the world of design of objects and buildings so that they contribute to the betterment of the environment rather than destroy it. The title of the book "Cradle to Cradle" encapsulates their goal of designing objects that when they are no longer needed, naturally become useful inputs for the production of other objects rather than getting sent to the grave (or buried in a landfill). For example, they would like to see the creation of food packaging that could be thrown on the ground when the contents are consumed and would become fertilizer rather than non-biodegradable litter. (By this measure, the women concessionaires selling steamed rice treats in Indonesian trains are masters of design. The rice is both steamed and packaged in banana leafs, which are simply thrown out the train windows once the rice is consumed. But this practice also creates enormous problems- -since Indonesians have been accustomed to using such environmentally beneficial packaging for generations, they assume that "modern" packaging can be discarded in the same manner, much to the detriment of the Indonesian countryside. If you are living in a world of mixed packaging, some of which can be thrown out the window, and some of which must be discarded by other means, it's hard to keep straight which stuff goes where. That's a vital cultural issue that the authors don't explore here.)

McDounough and Braungart list the goals for their design program. They challenge inventors and industry leaders to design factories that "produce more energy than they consume, and purify their own waste water," and products that "can be tossed on the ground to decompose" or become "high-quality raw materials for new products" rather than simply "down-cycled". At the outset, these goals can sound a bit far-fetched. After, all, a factory that produces more energy than it consumes would seem to violate the Second Law of Thermodynamics. But what the authors really mean here is not that the factory would miraculously produce something from nothing, but that the design of the factory would include such things as solar collectors on the roof and devices to capture heat that could then send energy back out to the power grid, perhaps even in excess of electrical energy coming in. They illustrate their lofty dreams with concrete designs that they have helped develop and implement, such as a cosmetics plant in Germany whose wastewater is actually cleaner than the water coming in to the plant, thanks to the new chemical formulations they recommended. What's more, they point out that such design efforts can be even be good for business, since in this particular example, the company was able to cut costs on hazardous materials handling and storage enough to more than offset slightly increased production costs with the new formulas. Such design efforts are fabulous examples of the potential benefits of thinking "out of the box".

The book contains quite a few additional examples of brilliant design ideas that can save resources as well as money. The book is also filled with surprising tidbits that haven't become general knowledge yet, like the potential hazards of wearing fabric made of recycled plastic bottles, and the fact that PET bottles were found to leach antimony when used as soap containers. The authors point out that the decision to use either recycled paper or virgin paper is not as clear cut as it seems- -while the production of virgin paper necessitates the cutting down of trees, recycling paper requires enormous amounts of bleaching, which produces PCBs. To demonstrate an alternative, the book itself is printed on a paper-free composite of plastics, which could be easily recycled into more book-grade plastics. The informative details and design goals of the book are quite interesting. However, the text often meanders around and through topics that are at best tangential or described better in other volumes. At times, some details or issues are also rehashed repetitively. In these places, it would have been better to focus on explicating McDonough and Braungart's own design program more fully. They've got some neat ideas that are well worth exploring, and it would have been great to be able to read even more about them and less about the general problems of environmental destruction that are described better in other books.

Every student of design should read this book
I am a graduate student in a school of architecture that talks alot about doing 'sustainable design' and the 'green' architecture that has become a fad of late. This book makes the designer think not about efficiently designing buildings, but efficiently designing MATERIALS to eliminate the dangers that are inherent to the chemistry of almost every modern building product. It was an eye-opening read for me and has changed the way i think about 'sustainable design' and what the true goal of 'green' architecture should be. ... Read more

Book Description

Building on the tremendous reception to its parent volume, Earth 8th edition, the same groundbreaking media package is now integrated into the brief version of the best-selling introductory physical geology volume. This eighth edition of Essentials of Geology represents a thorough revision, yet retains the hallmarks readers have come to expect from Tarbuck and Lutgen. Reader friendly writing style, carefully crafted illustrations by Dennis Tasa that are both geologically accurate and visually appealing, and updated coverage of the most recent geologic events.The volume provides an introduction to geology covering minerals, igneous rocks, volcanoes and other igneous activity, weathering and soil, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, mass wasting, running water, groundwater, glaciers and glaciation, deserts and wind, shorelines, the ocean floor, earthquakes and earth's interior, plate tectonics, mountain building, geologic time, and earth history.For individuals interested in an introduction to geology. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A good textbook for the the physical geology student
This book is intended as a text for the collegiate course in physical geology. The course encompasses a general overview of the physical processes by which the Earth continues to develop, both gradually and by sudden events of great magnitude. Plate tectonics, volcanism, erosion, mountain building and shaping, mineralogy, mass wasting, the impact of man, glaciation, and all other manner of things are clearly discussed in nineteen separate chapters. The color photography and diagrams are remarkably good, and closely follow the text, which is a real boon, especially to a student who is hard-pressed for time. The coverage is up-to-date and accurate in all respects. Many of the photographs, such as the those of the eruptions at Montserrat, are very current.

Given the fact that physical geology is the first of six courses required for any geology degree, and that any well-informed person should have no trouble understanding the contents of this book, I would recommend it to any reader interested in earth science, student or not.

Not that bad
If you are taking a Geology class, this book is very helpful. Its easy to read, and has many pictures. ... Read more

Book Description

This classic book explores the interactions of humans within the natural environment and probes issues thoroughly, examining their scientific basis, history, and society's response. Strong science, sustainability, and stewardship of Earth remain the underlying themes.Accompanies each copy of the book with the new Global City CD, built around the concepts of a large city that shows many of the environmental problems presented in the book. Includes an extensively revised layout and design. Keeps readers abreast of the latest developments or most pressing issues in the field, such as Global Climate Change. Offers "Environment on the Web" exercises that help readers access additional information on the Internet; important Web references are keyed to each chapter.An interesting reference for anyone interested in learning more about today's crucial environmental issues. ... Read more

Book Description

Physical Geology is a market-leading classic that has been used in classrooms for over 20 years.Updated to include the latest technology and most current information,Physical Geology is for both non-science majors and for students contemplating majoring in geology. The beautiful new art program and interactive writing style will grab students' attention and further their interest in geology. ... Read more

Book Description

To understand timely issues such as natural disasters and environmental challenges—and to evaluate solutions to related problems—the average citizen needs a basic awareness of the scientific principles that influence our planet. This trusted book makes an often-complex subject accessible to readers with a strong focus on readability and illustrations.Offers a meaningful,non-technical survey that is informative and up to date for learning basic principles and concepts. Includes a revised and expanded GEODe Earth CD-ROM. Updates and revises art and illustrations to include dozens of new high-quality, photographs carefully selected to aid understanding and add realism. Provides a wealth of new special-interest boxes, including "Earth as a System," "People and the Environment," and "Understanding Earth."A useful reference for anyone interested in learning more about Earth's geology. ... Read more

Book Description

Physical geography is presented more consistently from chapter to chapter with major revisions to several chapters.
* A foldout map of the world in 1900 is included so that comparisons can be made from the beginning to the end of the 20th century.
* Website highlights approximately 13 Virtual Field Trips which provide the opportunity for readers to travel (virtually) to other areas of the world, while also developing analytical skills. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Expensive but well worth it
I paid quite a bit for this textbook, but in my opinion it is well worth it. The book is highly detailed with lots of nice diagrams and maps. It was pretty easy to follow/understand, but contains so much information that you can be overwhelmed easily if you do not enjoy Cultural/World Geography.

Good learning had a price, be it time and money!!
I just finished my college course "Geography of the World" using this book. Personally I found the 10th edition book very useful and entertaining. If you want to LEARN SOMETHING, get "edumacated" has one of my friends who graduated Sumna Cum Laude from Berkeley would say, buy this book. Pony up the money, bite the bullet and enjoy the reading.

This book is for knowledge and education, it is NOT for the slacker who complains because he has to read 10 pages of text every week for his GEO class. I agree that this book might be a little pricey BUT the quality is there. If you can't afford a new one, buy a used one. The book is very well structure and easy to understand, you get out of it what you put in reading it.

The World is too big!
I read this book and determined that the world is entirely too big! Yeeesh! Also the book was way over priced. It has a lot of info, but often talks in a menagerie of metaphors!

Incredibly tedious book, to be read only by inmates.
Quite long.....too many words

A marvelous world regional text
This text makes teaching world regional geography a breeze, not only because of the well structured and knowledgeable approach to the material, but also because of the vast array of additional materials instructors can receive from the publisher. I used this text every year I taught the course and found it surprisingly modular. Each chapter allows the instructor to introduce a new geographic concept area (e.g. medical geography when discussing the African Continent). I can't imagine teaching World Regional Geography with any other text. Moreover, the writing is so good I can easily see people buying it just to have around the house when the news is on. Well worth the price. ... Read more

Amazon.com

When National Geographic published its first Atlas of the World more than 35 years ago, the world was indeed a different place. In order to cover today's world--including its oceans, stars, climate, natural resources, and more--National Geographic has published its seventh edition of the Atlas of the World. With each new edition, National Geographic strives to make its atlas more than just maps. You'll learn that the coldest place in the world is the Plateau Station in Antarctica, where the average daily temperature is minus 56.7 degrees Celsius; the most populated continent is Asia, with more than 3.6 billion people, or 60.8 percent of the world's population; the driest place on earth is the Atacama Desert in Chile; a flight from New Delhi to Rio de Janeiro covers 14,080 kilometers; life expectancy in the Republic of Zambia is 37 years; and the literacy rate in Turkmenistan is 98 percent.

Flip through the pages of this impressive book and you will feel as though the world is literally at your fingertips. Full-page spreads are devoted to more than 75 political and physical maps (political maps show borders; physical maps show mountains, water, valleys, and vegetation). There are many new touches to be found in this edition, including increased usage of satellite images, an especially helpful feature when researching the most remote regions of the earth; more than 50 updated political maps that record the impact of wars, revolutions, treaties, elections, and other events; and the use of the latest research on topics such as tectonics, oceanography, climate, and natural resources. The sheer size of the atlas's index--134 pages--offers insight into just how much information is packed into 260-plus pages. The book is so physically large, in fact, that when it's open, the reader is staring at three square feet of information, a surface area larger than many television screens. The potential uses of this book for a family are vast, from settling a friendly argument to completing a school report. In the end, though, the atlas is still mostly about maps. Pages and pages of maps. Maps that force us to see how wonderful and dynamic our world is. Maps that remind us of where we've been and where we'd still like to go. --John Russell ... Read more

Reviews (23)

National Geographic Atlas of the World
This Atlas is the best reference book I have ever had. Since I received the book 2 weeks ago I can't count anymore how many times I have flipped through the pages. The more I open the book the more I am amazed with how much details it has and the amount of information you can get from the book. The pages are just full with fantastic graphics with wonderful colours, especially the satellites photos which are just out of this world! Everytime I watch any TV documentary programs about travel or nature, as heavy and big as it is I make sure I have the atlas by my side so I can spot the locations mentioned.

Dollar For Dollar The Best World Atlas
The 7th edition of the National Geographic Society (NGS) Atlas of the World is very much "evolutionary" rather than "revolutionary". Besides updated boundaries, etc., compared to prior editions it makes much better use of shading to indicate topography and has more detailed city maps. I buy an atlas primarily for the maps, and it's the maps that make the NGS Atlas superior to all others.

The traditional NGS "look" sometimes seems dated compared to the flashier colors and trendy graphics employed by some other publishers. However, the more I study the maps, the more information I find in them. A few months ago I did a comparison of this NGS with the most recent edition of the much more expensive Times Atlas of the World for a professional geographer's meeting. I was amazed to find that many of the NGS maps of North America had more than twice as many place names and named physical features as the Times Atlas. I also found the NGS Atlas maps equal or superior to the Times' maps for parts of the Middle East and northeast Asia with which I'm familiar (frankly, I found the 10th Edition Times Atlas inferior to the prior edition in several regards; for example, the elevation colors are far less discernable and detailed city maps have been virtually eliminated). Despite contrary opinions by some other reviewers, I judge the National Geographic Atlas maps to be far and away superior in content and sheer volume of information presented to all the other "high end" atlases published by Oxford, Hammond and DK. In fact, I couldn't justify recommending any of the other atlases (except possibly the Times, which, I admit, does offer fantastic detail for village names in the rural plains of India where I hope to never visit) to a library.

The National Geographic Society Atlas of the World is a great investment for travel planning, tracking current events, studying geography and history or just reading maps for pleasure. I recommend it highly.

CHEAPER THAN A TRIP AROUND THE WORLD ... AND JUST AS NICE
Map out your academic studies or armchair travels with this incredible book --- without a doubt, the most up-to-date, comprehensive atlas we have ever seen. This seventh edition puts a changing world, in 140,000-plus entries, in everyone's hands, and boasts state-of-the-art satellite imagery and the work of more than 50 cartographers, designers, editors, researchers and indexers. (The mountain, valleys and other landscape features were digitally painted over a period of a yea by one staff artist!) Expensive? You bet. But much cheaper than a trip around the world. But if you have to go, just don't try and pack it in your luggage; the book weighs close to 15 pounds!

This Atlas Doesn't Shrug!
O.K... not the greatest pun, but at least I got your attention! I wanted to tell anyone who is interested that I have owned this atlas for two years and I can now say in all sincerity that it is one of the best book investments I've ever made, hands down. I keep it in a very handy spot between my computer, my television and my bookcase, and pull it out whenever an unfamiliar geographic reference comes my way. Usually this leads to 20-30 minutes of sheer pleasure as I flip through the pages and bolster my understanding of distant and exotic places. The maps are clear and detailed, and very esoterically pleasing, and the index is one of the best I've ever seen in any book; I am constantly amazed that all of the maps are served by this one simple-to-use index. Bonus Information: I was browsing in a store which specializes in geography products shortly after I bought this atlas, and the salesman suggested a product called the "Magnabrite light gathering magnifier", a small clear glass object which rests on the page and brings small print and details forward clearly and dramatically. If you search "all products" on Amazon, I believe they have a catalog listing which will allow you to order one. Also, you can just Google for it easily. It's the best! Mine says on the box "Precision, Prefocused 4X - Magnifier"...but I believe it's available in four sizes. I hope this atlas serves as a great tool for you to delve deeply into the geography and topography of our beautiful planet. Enjoy it!

Spectacular and practical
This atlas is an excellent balance between spectacular layout and user-friendliness. While still very, very large, the book is not as ungainly to handle as the huge Times atlas and I find the maps in the National Geographic Atlas to be easier on the eyes compared to those in the Times.

The book has a quite satisfying introductory section, especially the part dealing with the universe and earth's relative position in same.

As far as comprehensiveness is concerned, the maps and index serve all of my purposes, and I am very picky. If you need more detail, you probably should buy a road map for the area, especially pertaining to the individual states in the USA section.

In ordering such a tome, I personally suggest the next-day delivery option as it minimizes the time the book spends in transit and the resultant bother of having to secure a replacement for a damaged copy. My own copy arrived in perfect condition but I did use next-day shipping.

The National Geographic Atlas of the World is a worthwhile investment for any home or school and should give years & years of service for any map enthusiast. ... Read more

Book Description

With revised material and new exercises based on ArcGIS version 9, this updated work acquaints geographers and GIS professionals with the principles of GIS as it teaches the mechanics of using ArcGIS software. Conceptual material is followed by scripted software exercises. Necessary GIS skills are presented in a variety of areas-map symbology, data overlay, map projection, and data conversion-as the making of maps and the analysis of geographic data is conceptualized. Spatial modeling exercises using the ModelBuilder technology of ArcGIS version 9 are also provided. Other topics covered include organizing data, planning a GIS project, creating derived data, and presenting results. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Works for me!
I purchased this book as a compliment to the text for an intro to ArcHydro course I am taking at university and find it to be a very useful tool. The software runs on 2000 or NT, however, I called ESRI and they immediately sent me a 60 day full license for version 8.3 for XP. It's a great tool for the beginner starting out in geodatabse design and the exercises are easy to follow and gratifying when completed. If you're new to ArcView this is a good buy.

Includes old version of ArcGIS

The tutorials are a bit weak, especially if you already know something about ArcGIS 8.x and are hoping to learn some more.

My biggest complaint is the out of date Arc software you get, and a 30 day extensions trial demo is not long enough.

I also noticed ESRI is totally embracing MicroSoft: right down to the cover color scheme of the book matching the XP upgrade box graphics. Maybe thats why the first couple incarnations of 8.x are so bad.

Misleading Title
The title of this book is misleading (Getting to know ArcGIS Desktop: The basics of ArcView, ArcEditor, and ArcInfo). This book is strictly on ArcView, and only briefly mentions Editor and Info. This is for someone who has never worked with ArcView 8.x and needs some info to get started, not for an experienced user.

no support for demo software.
This was a waste of $50.00. I was unable to register the ArcGIS Demo Edition software and there is no support available on-line or on the ESRI website for this problem. When I called ESRI for assistance their response was for me to go to the website. The book is useless because the software is useless. So beware!

This book is intended for learning the GIS basics
I may be a bit biased since I work for ESRI, but I am not a GIS person; I am a web developer. I currently am enrolled in school to acquire my GIS degree and find this book is very helpful for learning the BASICS of GIS. Of all the reviews I have seen here, it looks like everyone already knows about ArcGIS. This is not the book for you then. You need to find the more advanced publications with more in depth tutorials and examples of the software. I see a VBA developer looking for answers here; you wasted your money. Great book for GIS beginners ONLY! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Very well-written and illustrated text with great photos
Obviously written by authors who have a deep appreciation for this subject and a desire to pass on their knowledge, this text is useful not just for students of physical geography, but for anyone wanting a deeper understanding of geopolitics, area studies, anthropology, world history, etc. For example, I would have no clue about the culture, history and politics of Central Asia/Afghanistan and vicinity (my area of interest) without having a comprehensive understanding of the physical terrain and climate of this region--and how its inhabitants have adapted to it. I would not have gained this understanding without reading this text.

My only complaint is that I had hoped for more emphasis on environmental issues. The authors may feel that this is beyond the scope of an introductory text; but problems such as the shrinking Aral Sea and tropical rainforest destruction are so widely catastrophic that I believe they deserve greater attention and understanding even at the introductory level.

still on my bookshelf
I remember this book from when I was an undergraduate, lo these many years ago (OK, so it was an earlier edition)! I'm glad to see it is still available and updated -- I enjoyed it then and I am using it now in answering the questions my children throw at me.

This is an excellent resource book. I probably wouldn't pick it up as a light read at bedtime, but if you are interested in this topic you could do far worse than to get _Physical Geography_.

Book is conundrum
Suffice it to say, this text is awful, an arduous task to understand and conceptualize. I'm taking a lower level geography course with this book as the primary text and find myself ready to punch a wall when attempting to read.

Excellent Physical Geography Text for college intro course
One of the most easily understood texts with a great index, glossary, and many illustrations that are very well done.

An excellent, readable source of information/a keeper
Quality textbook,well illustrated,and with a splash of humor that helps emphasize certain points. ... Read more

Book Description

In this edition of Miller's ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, a new Student CD-ROM, INTERACTIVE CONCEPTS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, has been added! This groundbreaking addition integrates nearly 100 engaging animations and interactions with chapter summaries, flashcards, and Web-based quizzes. Organized by chapter, students will find links to relevant resources, narrated animations, interactive figures, and prompts to review material and test themselves. The animations show complex processes and relationships unfolding on screen, such as the effects of acid rain, smog formation, and the phosphorus cycle. Narration allows students to focus on what is changing on screen while interactions allow students to explore figures in more depth.This Tenth Edition is a significant, all-encompassing revision providing continuing focus on the basic scientific content necessary to understand environmental issues in clear, straightforward language. It provides the latest developments and reflects several major shifts in environmental science education this century. Designed as a foundational text for environmental science courses, Miller's flexible book is adaptable to almost any approach, and is the most widely embraced approach to environmental science in print. With fair and balanced coverage and Internet tools integrated throughout, the book features an extensively developed art program, writing that communicates scientific information clearly and effectively, and the most current coverage of the subject. The book's flexible organization means that it can be adapted to fit almost any syllabus. Miller's more than 30 years of research and teaching expertise make this the definitive book on the subject.ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE: WORKING WITH THE EARTH, Tenth Edition is a concise alternative to G. Tyler Millers best-selling text LIVING IN THE ENVIRONMENT, which redefines the environmental science course and sets the standard by which every other book for this course is judged. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Biased indoctrination thinly disguised as a college text.
Be wary of any economics book that tries to teach you science. And avoid any science book that tries to teach you economics. I can only describe myself as speechless as I read chapter two, 'Environmental Economics, Politics, and Worldviews'. I would expect some coverage of the political and economic issues that surround environmental science, but Mr. Miller goes out of his way to present his political views as the One True Path and all other views as evil. There are no opposing points, no mention that other opinions might also have merit. His description of capitalism would be laughable if I and thousands of other college students around the world weren't being taught them in class.

On top of this, some web searches turn up other problems with this text. The book does not meet the 'Fairness and Accuracy' guidelines of the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE). Mr. Miller was criticized by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) for citing only references that supported his viewpoints (and even then, he didn't provide proper references). Another comment from 'The Textbook Letter' magazine describes this book as well as I could ever hope to "The [Miller] book is so insistent in promoting its worldview that it could serve as a model for education-with-indoctrination."

No matter your viewpoint, I think everyone can agree that purposeful bias is not something that is conducive to good learning. I would recommend avoiding this book and finding another less-biased text. ... Read more

Book Description

Offers a modern and different perspective.
* Includes updated content to reflect latest research findings.
* Each chapter ending has references to related material on the web. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Comprehensive and thorough
Comprehensive and thorough, clear and understanable even for youth. Ilustrations contribute a lot to the overall picture.

Pretty good overview of environmental science
I took a class which used this textbook at the University of California, Santa Barbara, which was co-taught by one of the authors, Ed Keller. This is an introductory book that provides a decent overview of the problems we are currently facing in regard to the environment, what we can do to solve those problems, and other opportunities that our environment can give us. ... Read more

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Reviews (8)

Bad Weather - Bad Writer
It's very difficult for me to give this book any form of praise.In a wordy attack, the author makes several inaccurate and otherwise misleading statements about me and my background -- which has always been of the highest regard. For example, the author says I never worked as a technical consultant for the motion picture "Twister." This is inaccurate and false. I was one of the initial consultants in 1995 after I received a call from Ian Bryce the producer of the film. I assisted the art department. One of my images was used on the movie poster and music CD. I have a letter from Warner's posted on my web site. The other accusations are equally false and can easily be debunked. The author and editors were well aware of these issues before the book was published but decided to leave the damaging and incorrect text in place. (The reader might notice last minute endnotes placed next to the text -- illustrating the author may have known there were issues before the book was printed -- but he decided to leave everything in place instead of re-writing the body of the text.)Judging by my own case, the reader could question other elements in the book. Although I'm sure some uninformed reviewers and readers will find this book interesting - I can say, -- as one of the "best-known" storm chasers in the world -- the overall theme of the book missed the mark. This is not an "Into Thin Air" level of literature. The author overlooked the true story of chasing. In my opinion, he made the mistake of making close friendships with only one side of the chasing world and his text was unbalanced.Ironically, of all the chasers mentioned in the book, I am the only individual mentioned in such a venomous manner -- even though volumes could be written about the truly negative, irresponsible and dangerous elements of chasing. One could surmise why the author decided to attack me only -- we both have published storm chasing-themed books and will now compete for speaking engagements, press, etc. I should note other reviewers have added their own comments concerning the book including: "Inaccuracies and inadequate research." As for the rest of the book, in my opinion, it's not the classic or gripping type of literature that I enjoy.

Half about chasing and the other half should have been cut
If you buy this book based on the cover or subtitle, you will have been misled. While perhaps half of this book is based on a few week's chasing that Svenvold did in May of 2004, much of the rest of the book is not about chasing at all. Svenvold's background is literary, and much of the book reads like literary criticism rather than a work on storm chasing.Like much literary criticism it suffers from a lack of focus, and the feeling that the author is trying to show off his vocabulary.An editor that cared about the book structure would have cut out much off the irrelevant verbiage and asked that the author replace it with text salient to the topic. Like Larry McMurtry, Svenvold brings the ghost of social critic Walter Benjamin into Tornado Alley, although to even less purpose.It's unfortunate that Svenvold drifts off into various political and literary diatribes, because when he is writing about chasing it's actually quite well-written and compelling, although perhaps too judgmental considering his lack of real knowledge of the cast of players. His comments about some coeds from the California University of Pennsylvania he meets along the way are hurtful and are obviously based on bias and not evidence. He makes similar value judgments about other people, corporations and countries, all from a very one-dimensional perspective. There are various other errors and inaccuracies scattered throughout the book, which can at least partly be ascribed to his unfocused approach. Parts of this book are very good, but unfortunately you will have to wade through the rest of it to find those parts.

Misleading and dissapointing
As a ten-year storm chasing veteran I am appalled to think this book represents any reality of what real storm chasing is about. The author is not a storm chaser. He may fool those who may not know better, but not me. This book was not what I expected.The dangerous driving habits of chasers and their lack of respect for the horrors of bad weather are never addressed. The guy he chased with is a well known big mouth in the world of chasing. I would not give him much credit. His writing is not accurate. For example: the part about the "tornado intercept car is a joke."Is the author so blind he does not understand the car is only a publicity ploy for a TV production? No one is going to drive into a tornado. And what if the car is hurled into a school bus? The author's lack of research and his lack of desire to write about the real issues is odd. If the author plans to write in the future, he would do much better to do a little more research and not mislead the reader.

Tornado Chasers Need To Get A Life
As one with a meteorology degree (B.S. University of Oklahoma 1977) and former severe weather geek, I am not surprised that this book is being slagged by the chaser community. People who spend their lives in a worthless endeavor are prone to bouts of self-justification.

Now that I have that out of the way I can safely tell you this is the best book ever written about Tornado Alley. Mark Svenvold brought a keen outsider's eye to the pathology of tornado chasing and ornamented his story with trenchant observations about what it's like to live on the Great Plains. His very relevant point about these people burning gallon upon gallon of gasoline in order to satisfy their obsession was right on, actually it probably encourages them to keep on chasin' because contributing to the speed-up of global warming might just spin up a few more F5's for them to drool over before they die. As for you poor people that happen to have your lives destroyed by one of those F5's, well, maybe they will make a video of your home being torn apart and sell you a copy as a souvenir. Just try to ignore their cheering when they watch it being replayed ad nauseam on the local news.

The only people that have any real business chasing are those in the position to give "ground truth" observations to radio and television outlets with the ability to warn people of the impending danger. Storms like the F5 that hit the Oklahoma City metro in 1999 are long-track and will probably be broadcast live for several minutes, maybe even over an hour, so people in harm's way should receive plenty of warning before the power is knocked out.

The researchers that chase are only kidding themselves, chaos theory guarantees that unless you have simultaneous observations for every piece of the atmosphere to load into your computer program, the results can't be trusted, and we are NEVER going to have that fine a level of observational detail.

To the rest: you are wasting gas and polluting the air in order to gratify your selfish quest.

Poor Mark
Mark Svenvold fails at his attempt to write an entertaining or informative book because of his misguided derision toward his subjects. It is more important for Mr. Svenvold to ramble at length about long dead and obscure authors, The Weather Channel, and global warming than to explain anything about storms or storm chasing. The whole book smells of the insecurities of an out of place liberal loud mouth who lives in the grip of fear that someone, somewhere might be receiving more attention than he is and might, God forbid, actually be doing something they love with their lives. Maybe if he is so concerned with the environment, he should have saved several pounds of paper and just stayed home. ... Read more

Book Description

The renowned author team of Bernard Pipkin and Dee Trent is joined in this Fourth Edition of GEOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT by Rick Hazlett of Pomona College. This stellar author team has the most field expertise, and the greatest depth of experience in bringing that field knowledge to the student, of any in this market. Pipkin/Trent/Hazlett's GEOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT explores the relationship between humans and the geologic hazards, processes, and resources that surround us. A tested market leader with an emphasis on how geology can improve the human condition, this new edition updates demographic statistics and the problems of overpopulation, reviewing what we have to do in order to create a sustainable society for the next generation. The popular themes of remediation and prevention are highlighted in this new edition, which focuses on teaching students to analyze geological questions of pressing social and environmental importance through the acclaimed case study and "Critical Thinking" elements. To further enhance the student's learning experience, this edition is now fully integrated, on a conceptual level and with book-specific interactivities, through means of a FREE, brand-new student tutorial system called Environmental GeologyNow. Environmental GeologyNow is Web-based, assessment-driven, and completely flexible, offering a personalized learning plan based on each student's quiz results to help students focus on the concepts they don't yet understand. This superior teaching package provides each student with fun, interactive learning opportunities. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A good overall source for environmental geology
Geology and the Environment is an excellent source for someone who wants to get an overall beginning knowledge of environmental geology. The text goes over each topic in a clear and precise manner, with diagrams and some humore as well. This book is highly recommended for those with an interest in environmental geology.

geology textbook for the tommorrows geologist
Easy to understand and straight to the point ... Read more

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Book Description

This mid-edition revision of the seventh edition of The Cultural Landscape has been revised to incorporate the September 11th attack on the United States. The book has an established track record as the leader in the field due to its timeliness and readability. It is widely praised because it is clearly written and organized, up-to-date, and it approaches topics in ways that appeal to the majority of readers.This new editon includes topics such as a geographic tools box titled “Aftermath of Terror”, a new heading in chapter 6 called “Taliban vs. Western Values” which discusses Islam in the context of extremist positions, and a new Key Issue in Chapter 8 called “Why has terrorism increased?”For readers who want to know morwe about geography and the changing world. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

simply exquisite
Rebeccasreads highly recommends PURE SEA GLASS as a must have for all the beachcombers who wander the strands of the world, bending to pick up those gorgeous fragments of glass.

PURE SEA GLASS offers history & facts about the globs of glass washed up by the waves, as well as page after page of exhilerating colors & shapes the glass comes in, & images of the seashore.

No seaside hotel, motel or B&B should be without this beautifully presented guide book. Do check out pureseaglass for when the author will be near you. TEN STARS! ... Read more

Book Description

Beautifully written and thoroughly revised by two of the foremost geographers in the field, Introducing Physical Geography, Third Edition , builds upon the decades of success of other Strahler geography texts while incorporating coverage of the new developments in the discipline as well as exciting new multimedia and pedagogy to bring physical geography to a new audience.

The Third Edition features two new chapters. A prologue, "Introducing Physical Geography" introduces geography as a discipline and identifies the realm of physical geography within geography as a whole. Chapter 8, "Biogeographic Processes" adds key concepts from historical biogeography as well as additional depth to the texts previous coverage of ecological biogeography. In addition, the Third Edition features enhanced coverage of the technological changes occurring in geography, with increased emphasis on remote sensing and geographic information systems.

The text features the GeoDiscoveries CD-ROM, featuring its Present-Interact-Assess framework which enables students to animate and interact with maps, view videos, and test themselves, providing them instant assessment feedback on key concepts. GeoDiscoveries for Introducing Physical Geography features an interactive globe, multiple-choice questions, drag-and-drop map exercises, key term matching exercises, flashcards, demonstrations of concepts and geographic techniques, critical thinking exercises, interactive animations, and more. GeoDiscoveries is designed to be used both by students for understanding and assessment of key concepts, as well as by instructors for in-class presentations. ... Read more