Review of Geology of U.S. Parklands (Geology of Us Parklands) (Hardcover)

I teach a course in geology of America's National Parklands at a community college. I have tried another book for the required text for the course, with mixed success. Thereforewhen I found out thatGeology of U.S.Parklands, fifth edition, was being released, I ordered it for the courseeven before I had seen my review copy.Previously when traveling I haveconsultedThe Geologic Story of the National Parks and Monuments by thesame authors, and was sufficiently impressed with the content, clarity ofwriting,and extent of coverage that I eagerly ordered the revisedversion.In my opinion this new book is THE one to use for similar collegecourses, and should also serve well for travelers with or without geologictraining who want to know more about the geology of the magnificent federalparklands of our nation.There is a sufficient short course on generalgeologic principles in the initial chapter. I like the clarity, accuracy and dry humor of the text, which is better than the style and content inthe book previously used - Geology of America's National Park Areas byBrooks Ellwood.Although the latter is quite a bit less expensive and hasbetter quality if not more useful pictures, it is often too simplistic formy use in this course.I may have more to say after having used Kiver andHarris book as a text for a quarter or two, but my initial reaction to itis very favorable.Other books cover the geology of one or a few parkareas, but this book has the entire country including Hawaii.However, forsome reason the parklands of Alaska are excluded, probably because theirinclusion could add many pages to what is already a massive volume (902pages).I should have liked to see higher quality photographs and a lowercost, but other than those minor quibbles, this book will very likely setthe standard to which all others on the subject will strive.

Product Description
The National Parks of the United States provide some of the world's most spectacular examples of a wide range of geological features. From the shores of Cape Cod to the volcanoes of Hawaii, this book teaches the principles of physical geology by example, re-creating the history of the earth and the development of its landforms, mountains, rivers, and oceans. By presenting a brief outline of the science of geology, and devoting chapters to individual geographical regions, the authors describe in detail the stunning geological features of each park.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Geology of U.S. Parklands (Geology of Us Parklands) (Hardcover)