Ultimate Visual Dictionary of Science

Containing more than 200,000 words, 1,400 color photographs, and two hundred illustrations, an innovative reference answers tough questions about science with vibrant and helpful pictures, accompanied by a straightforward text to make the intricate subject of science more accessible. 20,000 first printing.

Grade 6 Up-Like DK's Ultimate Visual Dictionary (1998), much of this title is a compilation of several previously published volumes. The Visual Dictionary of Physics (1995), The Visual Dictionary of Chemistry (1996), and The Visual Dictionary of Human Anatomy (1996, all DK) have been virtually reprinted page by page, illustration by illustration, and shrunk to fit a smaller format. Nowhere in the book is this fact mentioned. Other sections include medical science, life sciences and ecology, earth sciences, astronomy and astrophysics, electronics and computer science, and mathematics. Here, the information has been synthesized from earlier books and updated. The life-sciences section includes some nifty diagrams of arthropods, sponges, and plants. In the electronics section, there are diagrams of transformers, conductors and semiconductors, etc. "Mathematics" includes brief cogent descriptions of coordinates and triangles, probability, logic, and other functions, with lots of clear, understandable diagrams. As none of the information is laid out in dictionary format, it is often necessary to consult the index. Useful data such as physics formulas are at the end of the book along with a glossary, an index, and a short biographical list of scientists. If you don't already have the topical visual dictionaries in your collection, this is a relatively inexpensive way to get all three plus other useful information.
Jo-Anne Weinberg, Greenburgh Public Library, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.