Introduction to Earth Science

Reviewed by Ryan Sincavage, Associate Professor, Radford University on 11/9/23

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

Very comprehensive textbook. It gives instructors flexibility in terms of which topics they want to focus on and if there are topics they will choose not to cover in their particular course.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The information presented is accurate and thorough.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

There are in text links to short videos and other resources that may need to be updated in future editions, but in general the book is very relevant in terms of the current state of the science at it applies to a general student audience.

Clarity rating: 5

Really well written- very clear with short, crisp sentences that students should be able to follow easily. Takes complex concepts and distills them down to digestible components.

Consistency rating: 4

Very consistent use of terminology and figure styles. In some cases figures/photos are repeated, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

Modularity rating: 4

Certain topics receive more treatment than others, but there is definitely enough material within the text to full a standard 15 week semester course.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

Excellent, logical organization. It provides the student with a sound base level of knowledge that is needed for topics later in the course.

Interface rating: 5

Easily navigated textbook, with good links to supplemental exercises and quizzes to help students test their knowledge as they progress.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

Some minor typographical and grammatical errors, but overall very well written and edited.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

Excellent highlights of geologists from underrepresented groups who contributed significantly to the field. Also good diversity in field photos of students and scientists working in the field.

Comments

This is an excellent, comprehensive introductory textbook that will serve both students and faculty well. I appreciate the author's efforts to expand upon topics that are sometimes given shorter coverage in traditional textbooks (ex. the different rock types, mass wasting, etc). The introductory chapter tends to lose its focus on the broader topic of science as a whole when it starts to discuss specific elements of geology, tectonics, etc, but not to the point that it is detrimental to the overall flow of the book. I look forward to implementing this textbook in future offerings of introductory courses at my institution.