[.ca] Reading the Earth: Landforms in the Making (ISBN 0967407508)

Reading the Earth: Landforms in the Making:
Reading the Earth: Landforms in the Making written by Jerome Wyckoff is a richly appointed book with pictures explaining why there are so many different features on the Earth that we tread upon. This book is illustrated with 556 photographs and 75 drawings and has and extensive index of over 6,000 page entries that makes information easy to find. If you are interested in rock formations and tectonic plate activity, volcanoes and mountains, seacoasts and limestone caverns you'll fall in love with the easy prose and well-explained information in this book. There is information on glaciers and deserts, soluble rocks and sculpures by running water. Not to mention, there is extensive information about our changing planet from ancestral earth, inside the earth, crustal plates in motion to regimes of climate, weathering, and gravity movements. This is an excellent book for high school aged children and older who have an interest about the ground we all walk upon. The prose are engaging and fascinatingly captivating and the author explains the workings of all of the Earth's systems. I found that I read and reread this book several times and it is a welcome addition to your natural history self in your home library. This book is well worth the money spent as you'll find yourself referencing it many times. For instance there are references for lateral and terminal moraines, drumlins and fluting, and eskers these are explained well with illustrations so you can see what these parts of a glacier activity look like. This is an excellent book for understanding why the earth is shaped as it is where it is.

Great book !:
Jerome Wyckoff is the author of several very successful books on geology, including 'The Story of Geology' and 'Rock, Time and Landforms.' 'Reading the Earth' adds another excellent volume to the collection of books available to people who may have little or no formal training in geology, but who are curious about the landscapes that surround them. Its introduction describes 'Reading the Earth' as a nonspecialist's guide to landforms and one that focuses on specific kinds of landforms rather than on the complex systems that control landform evolution. From there, the reader gets an introduction to geology (timeframe, rock cycle, plate tectonics); petrology (rock types); and weathering -- along with descriptions of the landscapes created by or associated with gravity movements, hillslopes, rivers, igneous activity, structures, mountains, plateaus, plains, glaciers, deserts, karst and coasts. The book's organization is slightly different than the organization geologists usually see in various geomorphology texts, but the structure is, nonetheless, appropriate and effective. Each chapter is a logical progression of ideas and information. The content of the chapter builds on that of the other chapters, or each chapter can stand alone as a source of information on a particular type of landscape. 'Reading the Earth' is accessible to the geologist and non-geologist alike, combining rich illustrations with graceful writing. Technical explanations are balanced with poetic, evocative prose and appropriate metaphors and examples that should hold the reader's interest. Wyckoff explains technical terms well enough that they should not provide barriers to a reader who is not a geologist. Populating the book are 556 photographs and 75 line drawings, all both beautiful and effective, illustrating landforms and landform processes from around the world. Above all, the author's obvious appreciation for landscape will enhance the reader's appreciation. It is accessible to readers interested in geology and landscapes, or to students in an introductory geomorphology or landforms course. 'Reading the Earth' is also useful as a reference; it has a good index with no errors or inaccuracies. The book's format is attractive, and it is a bargain. I have already recommended 'Reading the Earth' to friends who are not geologists but are interested in geology, and I recommend it to any 'Geotimes' reader who is fond of good photography and good prose. Ellen Wohl Geotimes Magazine review - July 2000 Wohl teaches in the Department of Earth Resources at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, Colo.

For people who want to know . . .:
about geology, the earth, and why it looks the way it does. This is a good geology book - it covers the standard material, but reads easy and has LOTS of pictures to illustrate the points made. A good value for the price.

An effective literary excursion and a genuine visual treat:
Clearly written, richly illustrated.... Diverse examples of landforms derived from a global set.... Technically sound, easy reading.... for home and office, or as a field companion....The complete index (including over 6,000 page entries) provides for easy reference and investigation.... Readily accessible as an upper-level high-school or introductory undergraduate text.... An effective literary excursion and a genuine visual treat, all at an extremely reasonable price. - Kevin M. Schmidt in Journal of Geoscience Education

Absolutely Fascinating!:
I loved this book! It gave me a whole new look at the wonderful world we live in. I'll never look at rocks or cliffs in quite the same way again. Well researched and beautifully illustrated. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the things around us.