Product Description

Beautifully illustrated with over 140 full colour images, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Meteorites provides a thorough guide to these fascinating extraterrestrial rocks. Meteorites are our only contact with materials from beyond the Earth-Moon system. Using well known petrologic techniques, this book reveals in vivid colour their extraordinary external and internal structures. Looking deeper still, right to the atomic level, they begin to tell us of the environment within the solar nebula that existed before the planets accreted. In recent years, meteorites have caught the imagination of scientist and collector alike. An army of people are now actively searching for them in the hot and cold deserts of Earth. This book is a valuable guide to assist the searchers in the field to recognize the many classes of meteorites. It is further a reference source for students, teachers and scientists who wish to probe deeper these amazing rocks from space.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #843042 in Books
• Published on: 2002-03-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 374 pages

Review
‘This is a beautiful, substantial, glossy book that comprehensively discusses the major issues in meteorites and cosmochemistry. The superb pictures are of high quality and made up of artwork as well as diagrams and photographs. The subject matter is very complete, and covers the effects of impacts, the history of meteorites, and how to recognize meteorites in the field … As a work to inspire and interest, it works magnificently.’ Sara Russell, The Observatory

‘… splendid encyclopaedia … excellent value and is highly recommended.’ Richard Taylor, Spaceflight

‘… a thorough guide to extraterrestrial rocks.’ Lunar and Planetary Information Bulletin

'Norton deftly navigates the turbid waters of our current meteorite classification system making these 100-plus pages alone worth the price of the book. Scores of colour illustrations grace every one of the 12 chapters, to the point that this encyclopedia could masquerade as a coffee-table book showcasing the beautiful meteorites of the world. … History has been made in meteorite literature, and the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Meteorites deserves the same shelf presence as the famous Catalogue of Meteorites.' Martin G. Horejsi, Earth, Moon and Planets

'Norton ably demonstrates his competent grip of this field … this is an encyclopedia for budding and accomplished enthusiasts who wish for an authoritative reference that includes the latest research in a steadily burgeoning subject … definitely recommended' Steve Ringwood, Astronomy Now

‘[the] illustrations - over 150 of them in colour - are not just aesthetically stunning, but very instructive too … if you are fascinated by meteorites, then this book is well worth having … the illustrations are a delight.’ John Saxton, J. Br. Astron. Association

‘Twelve packed chapters crammed with stunning illustrations present the origin, structure and classification of meteoric material … This is an encyclopedia for budding and accomplished enthusiasts who wish for an authoritative reference that includes the latest research in a steadily burgeoning subject.’ Sky & Telescope

‘There is not much anyone would want to know about meteorites that is missing from this book.’ Popular Astronomy

'…this book is the complete illustrated reference work for anyone interested in the subject of meteorites.' Astronomy & Space

‘If you harbour an interest in astronomy alongside that of geology then you are bound to find this book fascinating. If your interest is solely geology then you should make a point of reading this book, it will broaden your horizons.‘ Open University Geological Society Journal

About the Author
Since earning a degree in astronomy from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1960, O. Richard Norton has held directorial positions at the Morrison Planetarium, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, the Max C. Fleischmann Planetarium, University of Nevada, Reno, and the Grace H. Flandrau Planetarium and Science Center, University of Arizona, Tucson. He has worked as an optical engineer on the design of optical telescopes at the Tinsley Laboratories, Berkeley, California, and the hemispheric projection system for the Desert Research Institute, University of Nevada, the forerunner of the modern Imax system. In 1977 he founded Science Graphics, a company producing science teaching slides in astronomy, space science, meteorites, geology, paleontology and the history of astronomy, used in the science teaching curricula of over 3,000 colleges and universities in the United States and further afield. His interest in meteoritics extends from his work with Frederick C. Leonard, a renowned early meteoriticist at UCLA. Through the years he has worked to promote the public understanding of science and especially the growing field of meteoritics. He is the author of the best selling book Rocks From Space (1994) and is currently Contributing Editor of the new popular journal Meteorite.

Customer Reviews

One of the best meteorite books
If you only ever buy one meteorite book get this. Its superb. Tells you all abou the origins, goes through the types and is well written by a renowned author.

I am not sure why its described as an encylopedia?, but its fab.

One of the authors other books 'rocks from space' is similar but goes into the meteorite hunting side of things a bit more, I prefer this work personally.

Do you want to know about meteorites?
If the answer to the title is, "yes", then this is probably not the book for you. You want "Rocks from Space"
If you already read that book and want to know more, then this is the book for you.

It was written c.2001. A lot of meteorites have been discovered since then and a few ideas have developed but as a journey, it is safe to say that if you know everything in this book, you'll not need to know much else.

Irons and chondrites are well covered due to the large quantity availabe prior to writhing but achondrites are somewhat poorer in their write up due to the paucity of samples at time of writing.
There are far more these days but the studies are not complete for most of them.

For that reason, I still recommend this as your second platform into meteorites. Beyond that, you probably want to talk to a specialist....at least until the next edition comes out.