The New York Public Library Science Desk Reference

A definitive overview of the world of science encompasses hundreds of entries and visual images spanning ten separate disciplines, including meteorology, measurement, time, biological science, chemistry, physics, astronomy, environmental science, earth science, and engineering.

This latest title in the NYPL series compiled by a book packager contains science and technology information for the high-school and college student and the layperson. It is topically arranged under headings such as "Scientific Measurement," "Time," "Biology," "Earth Science," and "Computer Science." Most chapters have glossaries, brief biographies of important people in that discipline, and bibliographies for further reading. Much of the book is made up of tables and lists, for example, decimal and percent equivalents of common fractions, elements that make up the human body, botanical names of plants, forthcoming solar and lunar eclipses, and decimal and binary equivalents. Black-and-white drawings are provided for symbols, such as those used for rock types and in electrical engineering. The more than 100 graphics include drawings of plant and animal cells, areas of taste on the tongue, and weather fronts. Some information is provided in textual form, often as answers to such questions as How do wounds heal? or What is the periodic table of the elements? The book concludes with useful directories of science museums, planetariums, zoos, national parks and wildlife refuges, and scientific organizations. Lists of Nobel Prize winners and popular-science periodicals are followed by a very brief bibliography. The index is fairly detailed but does not index topics within tables. For example, the names of major meteor showers are not included in the index, nor are the names of recent active volcanoes.

Comparable books are The Henry Holt Handbook of Current Science & Technology [RBB D 15 92], which presents information more in the form of essays and less in tabular format, and Science and Technology Desk Reference [RBB My 1 93], which uses a question-and-answer format. The New York Public Library Science Desk Reference is an attractive book that will be useful for ready reference in high-school, public, and academic libraries. Sandy Whiteley

From formulas to the periodic table of the elements, from a list of endangered animals to computer terminology, this is an excellent sourcebook of scientific information. You could not find a more comprehensive and readable desk-sized one-volume science encyclopedia. Thirteen chapters cover major divisions of science (e.g., astronomy, biology, chemistry, computer and environmental sciences, technology) listing basic facts, formulas, terms, and processes. One additional chapter lists "useful resources" such as books, organizations, museums, zoos, national parks, and planetariums. This is more of a reference book than the Carnegie Library's Science and Technology Desk Reference (LJ 3/15/93), which contains "1500 answers to frequently asked questions" such as which dog breeds are the most dangerous. Clearly written and well indexed, this will be an excellent reference book for all school and public libraries. Highly recommended for all ages.?Laura E. Lipton, Ctr. for Urban Horticulture, Seattle
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.