James F. Luhr (1953–2007)

Today is Earth Day and I can't think of a better book to be reading today than Smithsonian Earth: The Definitive Visual Guide from DK Canada. (This is the second edition of this title. More than one million copies of this title have been sold!)

Our world is simply an amazing place. The old saying 'a picture is worth a thousand words' definitely applies here. Earth the book is filled with gorgeous colour photographs throughout the five main sections - Earth, Land, Ocean, Atmosphere and Tectonic Earth. There are numerous sub sections within each of those main areas.

Although they are all fascinating, I was really drawn to the Land and Ocean chapters. Descriptions, photos and facts about places I will never get to visit in person captivate me. Continents, countries, mountains, deserts, oceans, lakes, cities and rural areas and so much more. The 'technical' descriptions of the science covered in the book is presented in clear, easy to understand language. The photographs and images are all sharp, defined and in colour. The text boxes used contain clear, concise information.

Earth is an incredible reference book - the wealth of information presented is staggering. (IMO, DK publishes some of the best reference books around!) The timeline is fascinating to follow - from the beginning to present day.

Earth has found a home on my coffee table, ready to be picked up and leafed through - finding something new every time I do.… (more)