This beautifully illustrated volume will be of interest to amateur naturalists, but it is of a scientific level appropriate to undergraduate students. Thirteen chapters, each authored or co-authored by specialists, describe a different area or science, including geology, landforms, fossils, climate, biogeography, environmental change since the last glaciation, the human factor, wetlands, the coast, and the open sea. The colour plates are of excellent quality and include maps, diagrams, and photographs, including satellite and aerial photographs.