Magill's Science Annual

Product Description


Looking at the year 2001, this is an in-depth, illustrated survey of the most important developments in the world of science. The book covers science awards, obituaries and the other significant events that took place in that year. The text is colour-illustrated and supported by an index of resource materials.


From Library Journal


Although these two titles would seem to be very similar in purpose and content, they are actually quite different. Magill's is a new annual series, similar to encyclopedia yearbooks, that highlights the year's most important developments in science. The volume begins with two introductory essays that provide an overview of what happened in the previous year and what to look for in the upcoming year. Following are eight sections, each devoted to a major scientific field such as astronomy and space, life sciences and genetics, and applied technology. Each section starts with the year in review for that field, followed by five to 16 essays providing details of key events and a list of resources for students and teachers. The last sections include a time line, obituaries, books of the year, web sites, science awards, AV and CD-ROM resources, and organizations. The many high-quality color photographs make Magill's fun to browse, but because captions are frequently absent, it is unclear how these images relate to the text. The Nature Yearbook serves as a companion to The Statesman's Yearbook (also from Palgrave) and is organized very much like its political counterpart. It begins by analyzing key scientific issues in a series of essays, some of which are taken from articles previously published in the Nature family of journals. A directory of international organizations and scientific facilities provides data on each institution's origin, activities, functions, finances and human resources, and contact information. The main section of the volume features country profiles, with details on key political, economic, and scientific indicators; constitution and government; regulatory bodies; research agencies, institutes, and universities; societies and museums; and diplomatic contacts. It also provides information for each state in the country. Magill's is aimed more at the lay reader in analyzing the significance of scientific events and is appropriate for public and school libraries as well as undergraduate collections. Pulling together information that is sometimes difficult to find, The Nature Yearbook examines the state of scientific research in the world and is more appropriate for research collections. Teresa Berry, Univ. of Tennessee Libs., Knoxville
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.