Hidden in the outer reaches of an ordinary galaxy is a remarkable world. It is an active, evolving planet, the only one known to support life. It is, of course, our Earth. Directed at a secondary age group, The Kingfisher Book of Planet Earth gives an impressive account of the structure and atmosphere of our world and the evolution of its life.

Almost immediately we discover how Martin Redfern’s turn of phrase makes the book so readable. In describing the formation of the atmosphere he tells us that “the sky we know today probably came out of the ground and the sea must have fallen from the sky”. He helps dispel common misconceptions, pointing out, for example, that “Earth’s thick, rocky mantle is a solid”, not a liquid as many young people imagine. The geological sections include earthquakes and mountain-building, but the rock cycle finds no direct focus and plate tectonics is given a surprisingly low profile.

After a review of climate and weather, the final section outlines the evolution of life. Discussing the issue of how life on Earth began, the author plays safe by referring to the primal atmosphere experiments of Stanley Miller carried out almost half a century ago. While tracing significant stages of evolution, he introduces theories of mass extinction and gives the warning that “today, another mass extinction appears to be in progress, but this time it is caused by human activity”.

A high standard of artwork blends with Redfern’s text, providing a striking backdrop to this dramatic survey of our singular world.

Dennis Ashton

Dennis Ashton is director of Stardome Mobile Planetarium, Sheffield