Cover image for Atlas of the prehistoric world
Title:
Atlas of the prehistoric world
Personal Author:
Publication Information:
London : Marshall Publishing, 1999
ISBN:
9781840282559
Subject Term:

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30000004965970 G1046.C57 P3 1999 f Open Access Book Book
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Summary

Summary

This work takes the reader on a journey back into time to see the Earth as it was. Chapter openers reveal the clues that have enabled scientists to uncover the Earth's secret history, reconstructions show the important flora and fauna of each period, and feature spreads explore events of interest.


Reviews 2

School Library Journal Review

Gr 5 Up-This exemplary book is one of the few that provides detailed maps of the changes in the Earth's landmasses as well as chronicling the evolution of its life-forms. The opening section includes 36 pages of full-color, chronologically arranged maps. Outlines of current continents overlay those of the prehistoric landmasses, allowing readers to see how they have moved and changed over time. Commentary on individual maps and information on how to read them is included. The second section examines each geological era and time period, and includes many color photographs, reproductions, and drawings depicting their life-forms and habitats. Detailed captions and sidebars provide additional information. The final section, illustrated with black-and-white photos, reproductions, and maps, covers "Earth History," "Earth Processes" (including volcanoes), and "Fossils." Paragraph-length biographies of noted paleontologists and geologists, and a list of museums and Web sites to visit are appended. For its price, this is the best atlas of Laurentia and Gondwana around.- Cathryn A. Camper, formerly at Minneapolis Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.


Booklist Review

This beautiful book is organized into three sections. "The Changing Globe" features Earth maps of periods from Vendian (approximately 620 million years ago) to Quaternary (from 1.8 million years ago to the present) times. For each era, representations of the globe show the shifting of land mass and climactic changes, such as when Antarctica froze over. These changes are noted by brief descriptions of numbered areas on each globe. The second section, "Ancient Worlds," narrates the geological and biological history of the last four and a half billion years, period by period. The illustrations in this section are stimulating--what student won't be further driven to search for fossils by viewing actual fragments of a carboniferous fern frond or the rugose horn coral? On each succeeding page depicting complex animal life, excitement builds--even before the dinosaurs appear. Adding interest are descriptions of how scientists have been unraveling Earth's mysteries over the last 200 years. "Earth Fact File," the third section, explores the history of Earth sciences and looks at rock formation, plate tectonics, and fossil classification. It also offers brief biographies of women and men who have made important discoveries. Two pages devote attention to places all over the world where one can visit to see fossils of prehistoric creatures or can virtually visit through Web pages. (However, three of these sites couldn't be accessed through the given URLs.) Teachers might want to include in the same classroom library The Historical Atlas of the Earth: A Visual Exploration of the Earth's Physical Past, edited by Roger Osborne and Donald Tarling (Holt, 1996). It is interesting to compare and contrast information that each source covers to demonstrate how our knowledge is constantly evolving. Earth's history is constantly being reexamined with each scientific discovery, and an attractive resource like Atlas of the Prehistoric World will help young people see that there is a place for them in this adventure. It is recommended for school and public libraries.