Illustrated Dictionary of Science - Hardcover

9780816032532: Illustrated Dictionary of Science

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 081603253X ISBN 13: 9780816032532

Publisher: Checkmark Books, 1995

This newly revised and expanded edition, originally published as The Encyclopedic Dictionary of Science, explains matter and energy (physics); the science of living things (biology) and particularly of humans (medicine); our understanding of the Earth (geology and physical geography) and of the Universe (astronomy); and the practical apparatus of science (technology). It also provides background information on the history of a particular science and biographical details on prominent scientists in each discipline. The easy-to-read definitions are accompanied by beautiful illustrations that serve to enhance the reader's understanding of the text.
The Illustrated Dictionary of Science is written in clear, nonspecialist language that enables anyone, from student to general reader to science buff, to grasp the language and the concepts of science.

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From Booklist:

This book was previously issued as the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Science in 1988. The renamed and revised version has the same list of contributors but a different advisory editor. Most of the contributors are experts in their fields and have experience writing scientific articles for the general reader.

The scope of the work is broad, covering physics, biology, medicine, geology, physical geography, astronomy, and technology. A random sampling determined that more than 5,000 terms are defined. In addition to coverage of current terms, a significant number of entries provide information on the history of concepts. More than 700 biographical entries survey people from ancient times to the present. Many definitions contain mathematical and chemical formulas. Although both editions have the same number of pages, the publishers contend that the new edition represents 30 percent revision. Some of the revisions are minor changes of a word, but new terms are included. There are 34 sets of full-page illustrations that often contain several pictures demonstrating a topic. These four-color illustrations are well done but unfortunately, they are not appropriately placed within the text (e.g., "Flowering Plants" is in the section for entries beginning with the letter b). Within entries, there are cross-references to the illustrations. At the beginning of the book are an index to the illustrations and a list of winners of the Nobel prizes in science.

There are a number of excellent comprehensive scientific dictionaries, such as the Academic Press Dictionary of Science and Technology (1992) and the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms (1994), which provide coverage of more than 120,000 terms and, are aimed at an educated audience. Written in clear, nonspecialist language, the Illustrated Dictionary of Science will be useful for quick reference and should be considered by junior-and senior-high-school and public libraries.

From Library Journal:

An attractive, updated version of the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Science (Facts on File, 1988), the Illustrated Dictionary of Science lists approximately 7000 terms, most defined in one or two sentences. Life sciences, geology, astronomy, chemistry, and medicine are represented (among other sciences); technology much less so. Thirty-four large color illustrations cover subjects such as cell division, digestion, geological time scale, magnetism, planets, plate tecktonics, reproduction, and the universe. The selection of words is sometimes puzzling: "hair," "year," and "wrist" are included but not "Internet," "mouse," or "ankle"; "impetigo" can be found but not "vitiligo"; "headache" is defined but "migraine" is not. While some terms recently in the news are featured (e.g., "DNA fingerprinting"), others (e.g., "Ebola fever") are not. In addition, tiny type makes the dictionary hard to read, and a slight British slant is evident. Thus, while this dictionary is attractive at first glance, it is ultimately a disappointment.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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