What do you think?
Rate this book
Smithsonian Visual Encyclopedia
Geography: A Visual Encyclopedia
"Geography: A Visual Encyclopedia explores every aspect of our world, from the North to the South Pole, and from the outer atmosphere to the fiery core and from natural processes to human impact."--Amazon.com.
306 pages, ebook
First published June 17, 2013
26 people are currently reading
154 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 5, 2026
Supposedly for 8 to 12. My five-year-old loves it.
Little boys are full of questions about violence in nature. My five-year-old son talks often about the great extinction, when a meteor strike 65 million years ago killed all the dinosaurs. He looks forward with great anticipation to seeing a volcano next year on our trip to Italy. Video of earthquakes fascinates him.
This book does a good job of explaining the history and character of our planet, and why these occasional rather violence events take place. It also does a good job with the peaceful, everyday evolution of our planet. The photography is wonderful.
In this era print must compete with video for a child's attention. Print is richer. A child can absorb more information in a shorter period of time from print than video, and can revisit it easily to make sure of his understanding. Print gives the parent an opportunity to discuss the material as they are reading. Video on the other hand condemns both to be passive observers to whatever the producer has put together. Reading is a more intellectually stimulating activity.
For all those reasons I applaud this book. I'm sure that my five-year-old son will be looking at it for years and that will remain a treasured part of his library. More than that, the English is accessible enough that I expect he will be able to share it with his friends for whom English is a second language. Five stars.
Little boys are full of questions about violence in nature. My five-year-old son talks often about the great extinction, when a meteor strike 65 million years ago killed all the dinosaurs. He looks forward with great anticipation to seeing a volcano next year on our trip to Italy. Video of earthquakes fascinates him.
This book does a good job of explaining the history and character of our planet, and why these occasional rather violence events take place. It also does a good job with the peaceful, everyday evolution of our planet. The photography is wonderful.
In this era print must compete with video for a child's attention. Print is richer. A child can absorb more information in a shorter period of time from print than video, and can revisit it easily to make sure of his understanding. Print gives the parent an opportunity to discuss the material as they are reading. Video on the other hand condemns both to be passive observers to whatever the producer has put together. Reading is a more intellectually stimulating activity.
For all those reasons I applaud this book. I'm sure that my five-year-old son will be looking at it for years and that will remain a treasured part of his library. More than that, the English is accessible enough that I expect he will be able to share it with his friends for whom English is a second language. Five stars.
January 29, 2024
This encyclopedia is suitable for a wide range of ages, from children around 10 years old to adults.
Also, it include the contents of earth/space, weather, disasters, water, floods, lava, deserts, population, etc.
However, this book has been published older than other DK books, so the images are outdated.
It's better to choose one that has been published recently.
At the end of this book, the characteristics, currency, temperature, food, etc. of countries and regions are introduced by continent, which is useful information before going on a trip.
Also, it include the contents of earth/space, weather, disasters, water, floods, lava, deserts, population, etc.
However, this book has been published older than other DK books, so the images are outdated.
It's better to choose one that has been published recently.
At the end of this book, the characteristics, currency, temperature, food, etc. of countries and regions are introduced by continent, which is useful information before going on a trip.
March 29, 2024
I throughly enjoyed this book. It was packed to the brim with facts, illustrations, and photographs. It would be overwhelming to read this cover to cover.
I kept thinking while reading it. How old does a science book need to be in order to be considered outdated? This book was initially published in 2013. That means that the information in here is ten years old already. It takes time to organize, edit, and publish a book.
This really needs to be updated.
I kept thinking while reading it. How old does a science book need to be in order to be considered outdated? This book was initially published in 2013. That means that the information in here is ten years old already. It takes time to organize, edit, and publish a book.
This really needs to be updated.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 20, 2019
Fantastic facts, photos and interesting topics. This book had me coming back for another dive into the amazingly diverse wonders of our world.
September 9, 2020
Espouses the theory of evolution from the beginning without stating that it is an unproven theory and only that, albeit an erroneous one. At least it does not attempt to hide it until the end.
June 29, 2013
Visually Stunning Encyclopedia of the world's geography! Very well done by the Smithsonian! I want to read it
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews