Lovely to look at and delightful to read, this work is the latest of Macmillan's four-color science sets and the inaugural title in a new series, the Macmillan Science Library. Tied to the curriculum and intended for middle-school grades and up, it provides information that will be useful at several levels of readership.
The 280 entries are written by contributors from academic and research institutions, industry, and nonprofit organizations throughout North America. Almost every entry is illustrated, and there are numerous photos, tables, boxes, and sidebars. Unfamiliar terms are highlighted within the text and defined in the margin of each page. Most entries are followed by a list of related articles and a short reading list for those seeking more information. The reading lists cite journal articles and Web sites as well as books. Front and back matter in each volume include a geologic timescale, a list of contributors, a comprehensive table of contents, a topic outline that groups entries thematically, and an extensive glossary. Each volume has its own index, and volume 4 contains a cumulative index covering the entire set.
Topics are timely and wide-ranging, including, for example, entries for specific plants and plant types (Coffee, Gymnosperms), processes (Germination, Symbiosis), environments (Deserts, Tundra), careers (Food scientist, Landscape architect), and practices (Genetic engineering,Green revolution). In addition, there are biographical sketches for persons such as Luther Burbank, George Washington Carver, and Johannes Warming. Entry length ranges from three paragraphs for Chestnut blight and Native food crops to more than seven pages for Biodiversity and Pathogens. The index is extensive, indicating page numbers of article headings in bold type and pages numbers of illustrations in italics.
There is really little else with which to compare this set; it seems badly needed. Although the price tag may be a little steep for school library collections, Plant Sciences is highly recommended for schools, public library reference collections and even undergraduate-level college and university collections. RBB
Product Details
Hardcover: 768 pages
Publisher: Macmillan Reference USA (December 12, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 002865434X
ISBN-13: 978-0028654348
Product Dimensions: 13.5 x 10.6 x 6 inches
