A team from the Smithsonian Institution working under the direction of Luhr, who is with the US National Museum of Natural History, have put together a stunning picture book of their home planet. The format is reminiscent of an atlas, but the subject matter is topical rather than cartographic. The sections cover the history of Earth, the land, the oceans, the atmosphere, and the seven tectonic plates that underlie the surface. The first American edition was published in 2003; this seems to be a revision or reprint of the 2005 compact edition. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)