"A stunningly beautiful visual feast of a book based on the BBC programme detailing the 4.5 billion year history of our planet."
Earth is based on the BBC programme, and tells us the most fascinating and beautiful story of our planet, it comes with a warning yet builds hope for the future. Stunning photography lies within (with the credits to be found at the end), along with graphs and illustrations that help to build a brilliantly vivid picture. Chris Packham and Andrew Cohen have come together to tell a story, one that should be read and heard by all. The majority of this rich and diverse book doesn’t feature humanity, and when we arrived at that point I almost winced. The section on extinction is heartbreaking yet hopeful, and for me eye-opening: “We have an odd relationship with extinction… the truth is, life thrives off it. It’s a critical part of the process that powers the evolution of new life forms on Earth”. We can also learn from the catastrophic events of the past: “a story that can teach us much about the future of the world we see changing so drastically today”. Most telling is: “Do we really want those sorts of extinctions on our conscience”, “we are changing the planet and its climate with full knowledge and understanding of the consequences”. This isn’t just a coffee table book (though it is a stunner), this is provocative and positive, and important reading. It doesn’t feel as though you are learning as you explore, though it is likely you will exclaim aloud as you discover something new. I have quite fallen in love with Earth, and proclaim it a LoveReading Star Book and Liz Pick of the Month. I can recommend Earth to all, if ever you find yourself wanting to hug a book, it’s this one.
| Primary Genre | Popular Science |
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A beautiful, full colour book to accompany the 5 part BBC TV series telling the most important story of all, the deep history of our own planet.
With the trademark dramatic storytelling techniques of The Planets and The Universe, Andrew Cohen and Chris Packham narrate the biography of the Earth, revealing the most epic moments from its history, from the first seconds of its existence to the arrival of its most incredible inhabitants, us.
But humans take a back seat for this story as the Earth takes centre stage. We’ll witness those moments where our planet’s future hung in the balance in the face of massive bombardments from space, extreme changes in climate, the collision of whole continents and more, and we’ll tell the story of how Earth’s most incredible creations – life and intelligence – are set to have the same lasting impact on Earth’s story as any meteorite or earthquake.
This is the epic 4 billion year story of the place we call home.
Earth features in the following genres: Popular Science, Liz Robinson's Picks of the Month, The Earth: natural history: general interest, Evolution, Evolutionary anthropology / Human evolution, Geology, geomorphology and the lithosphere, Biodiversity, Science: general issues, Mathematics and Science, Recommendations, Nature and the natural world: general interest, Lifestyle, Hobbies and Leisure, Life sciences: general issues, Biology, life sciences, Human biology, Earth sciences, Earth Sciences, Geography, Environment, Planning, Applied ecology, The environment, Star Books, Non-Fiction Books of the Month
Earth is available in Paperback, Hardback
Earth was written by Chris Packham, Andrew Cohen and published by William Collins an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Earth has 256 pages
£22.50
