Meteorites: A journey through space and time by Alex Bevan and John de Laeter, Smithsonian Institution Press, 拢30.50, ISBN 158834021X Reviewed by Caroline Smith
IS THERE a need for another book about meteorites and planetary sciences? Definitely yes, and in the case of Meteorites you couldn鈥檛 ask for a better one. This book succeeds where others have failed in combining scientific rigour with clear and interesting explanatory language that will stimulate both professionals and newcomers alike.
Meteoritics has expanded rapidly since the late 1960s. We have seen advances in analytical techniques and the recovery of many meteorites from deserts and the poles. Researchers have managed to get hold of meteorites that were witnessed falling 鈥� as at Tagish Lake, British Columbia, in January 2000. Some of these have proved to be unusual or even unique samples.
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Meteoritics relies on techniques and knowledge from many branches of science, notably geology, chemistry and physics. Alex Bevan and John de Laeter 鈥� respectively curator of minerals and meteorites at the Western Australian Museum in Perth and emeritus professor of physics at Curtin University of Technology in Perth 鈥� have risen to the challenge of making all this accessible. They cover the historical and cultural significance of meteorites, their composition and characteristics, and the clues that they provide to the formation and history of our Solar System. They make excellent use of readily understandable diagrams, and over 200 colour photos, many of which are new.
Meteorites is probably the best meteorite book on the market written for the non-scientist, and would not be out of place in a university library either.