The 12 books of Christmas: ‘Encyclopedia of Earth’

Did you know most valleys are either V-shaped or U-shaped? That most tress cannot grow if the temperature doesn’t average at least 50 degrees in summer? That the harmattan wind, a dry, dusty Saharan wind, is so devoid of moisture that it can warp wood?

This is part of the delight of “The Encyclopedia of Earth: A Complete Visual Guide” (University of California Press, $39.95).

The other part is the visual pleasure-trove of graphics and charts.

You don’t have to be a complete nerd to enjoy this either: Anybody who’s curious about the world — and we mean its birth, its elements and its people — will find this a fascinating tome to dip into over and over.

Stay tuned for more in the “12 books of Christmas” series.

Click here for “12 books” posts.

— Catharine Hamm, Los Angeles Times Travel editor

[Image: www.ucpress.edu]

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This entry was posted on Monday, December 15, 2008 at 5:41 pm by Catharine Hamm and is filed under Africa & Middle East, Alaska, Arizona, Asia, California, California's Central Coast, Caribbean, Central America, East Coast, Eastern Canada, Europe, Family & Kids, Great Britain, Hawaii, Islands & Beaches, Lake Tahoe & Eastern Sierra, Las Vegas, Latin America & Caribbean, Mexico, Midwestern States, Monterey Peninsula, National Parks, New Mexico, Northern California, Orange County, Outdoors & Adventure, Pacific & Australia, Pacific Northwest, Rocky Mountain States, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Sierra Nevada, South America, Southern States, Space travel, Western Canada, earthquake. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.