A Short History of Planet Earth: Mountains, Mammals, Fire, and Ice

by J.D. MacDougall

Four and a half billion years long, Earth's history is the fascinating, magnificent product of creation, transformation, evolution, and extinction. A Short History of Planet Earth chronicles this complex life story in an accessible and thoroughly engaging single volume that charts the geologic and biological life of our dynamic planet. A Short History of Planet Earth, the ideal, concise introduction to earth and life sciences, includes a handy glossary of geologic terms, and forty information-packed illustrations.

Genres: Geology, Science, History, Nonfiction, Evolution

272 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 1996

Reviews

[Florence · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is written in a manner that makes it easy for all people to understand the topic at hand. It approached the history of planet earth through a focus on geology and executed it well. I definitely learnt a lot from this book, and it had a little bit of everything. Sometimes there were parts written as though the author is talking to the reader which made it more engaging during a complex matter that could easily become confusing.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very accessible overview of the earth's history (even with all the terminology).

One drawback to the Kindle Edition is how figures are handled. (I am reading through Kindle for iPad, with the font enlarged.) Figures referenced for the first time may be several screens away from the reference, and a few of the captions are separated from their figures by several screens. Also, the author sometimes references figures in other chapters. There are no hyperlinks in the text, so locating the figure & then getting back to your current position in the text is a lot more complicated that it needs to be.

[Rhiannon Bacon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written so everyone can understand, this book still manages to cover a lot of ground without feeling like you are skipping important details. While I'm using it to supplement my paleontology studies, this books has something for everyone interested in learning about Earth, life, and time. The only problem is the unavoidable march of time is starting to date something of the information contained in this book from only a handful of years ago, but it shouldn't be enough to deter anyone from reading it.

[Ashley]

#
NC
Own in hardback.

FS: "In the middle of the seventeenth century, James Ussher, a widely respected scholar and prelate of the Anglican Church in Ireland and England, calculated that the earth was created in the year 4004 B.C."

LS: "And perhaps equally satisfying, it will permit us to perceive with even more clarity the origins of the landscapes, brimming with geologic history, that surround us every day of our lives."

[Missmath144 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating history of earth (geology, paleontology, climatology), yet very accessible to the non-scientist. I read it with my husband and we both enjoyed it very much. Copyright is 1996, so even though it's referencing events that occured millions of years ago, there are a few outdated facts, but overall it is extremely informative and interesting.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview of geological science; very informative and well written.