From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-An excellent, comprehensive overview for students with some science background. Less knowledgeable readers will understand much of the introductory material, but may feel intimidated by the small print and crowded pages. The book is arranged in broad sections covering astronomy, physics and quantum mechanics, the universe, our solar system, and space exploration. The table of contents not only outlines the chapters but also includes paragraph summaries of some of the topics covered. Boxed inserts appear throughout. This subject approach will assist general readers, and the detailed index will enable researchers to locate specifics. Thousands of color photographs and diagrams highlight and draw students into the accompanying passages. More balanced in approach than many texts, this volume includes information on non-Western astronomy and math. The extensive reference section includes statistical tables, historical data, mathematical tools, and a summary of laws and formulas.
Claudia Moore, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Claudia Moore, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
This richly illustrated encyclopedia provides an overview of what is known about the universe and of the physics essential to understanding it. Editor of Norton's Star Atlas and Reference Handbook and Oxford's Dictionary of Astronomy, Ridpath has assembled a group of astronomy experts to create a sourcebook covering topics ranging from subatomic particles to galaxies, from the origin of the universe to its future. The articles are two pages long, but almost half the space is occupied by illustrations and sidebars. The eight chapters include "The History of Astronomy," "Contents of the Cosmos," and "Space Exploration," and the reference section offers a glossary, bibliography, directory of web sites, listings of spacecraft missions, mathematical concepts, and celestial data. This encyclopedia is a source of useful information, but it will work better as a supplement, and, unlike the more in-depth Encyclopedia of Astronomy and Astrophysics (LJ 7/01), it is geared more toward undergraduates. The subject-based arrangement makes it challenging to find quick answers, for which Companion to the Cosmos (LJ 2/1/97), with its dictionary arrangement, is more appropriate. Nevertheless, both public and academic libraries with astronomy collections will find this encyclopedia useful and up-to-date. Recommended. Teresa Berry, Univ. of Tennessee Libs., Knoxville
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
