Life Counts: Cataloguing Life on Earth

Emphasizing the interconnectedness of all life on Earth, this award-winning study emphasizes the necessity for preserving biodiversity among the plants, animals, and microscopic life forms that inhabit the planet, arguing that without such variety, Earth could lose the ability to support its inhabitants within the next century.

Did you know that outside of the tropics there are 34 kinds of parasites that feed exclusively on humans? Or that humans are responsible for the extinction of over 600 species in a mere 450 years? Written by a team of science journalists and laid out by a noted visual designer, this volume immediately draws in readers with a series of attractively illustrated, two-page spreads graphically representing numbers and the latest research, gathered with the assistance of the World Conservation Monitoring Center. These factoids about our planet's biodiversity are not just isolated sound bites but are put into context with articles that discuss such issues as cataloging species and extinction concerns. This book is written for a general audience and, along with Global Biodiversity (the companion book for specialists to Life Counts), is part of the "Life Counts Project," which aims to raise awareness of global biodiversity. Highly recommended for middle and high school libraries, as well as public libraries and academic libraries with a large undergraduate science collection. [Named Scientific Book of the Year 2000 in Germany, this book was also given a Distinctive Merit award from the Art Directors' Clubs of New York and Germany. Ed.] Marianne Stowell Bracke, Univ. of Arizona Lib., Tucso.
- Marianne Stowell Bracke, Univ. of Arizona Lib., Tucson
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