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Reviews
of
Astrobiology:
A Very Short Introduction by
David C. Catling
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Reviews of Astrobiology:
A Very Short Introduction
David
C. Catling (2013)
Astrobiology:
A
Very Short Introduction, Oxford University
Press.BOOK REVIEW:
1 ) Reports of the National Center for Science Education (book review by Dr. David Morrison, then Director, Carl Sagan Center, SETI Institute, California), vol 34, November-December, 2014
"...splendid introduction to the co-evolution of life and the environment...excellent summary of the conditions on Venus, Mars and the icy worlds of the outer Solar System...His writing is clear, compact and elegant...It is a book to be savored, not skimmed."
Full review: click here.
2) Astronaut.com review by Cary Neeper, author, April, 2017. (Astronaut.com is a resource with "interesting articles relating to space, astronomy, scifi and entertainment").
"I hesistate to review this extraordinary book because it is so good."
Full review: click here.
3) The Guardian newspaper, Jan 3, 2014
" An engaging and well-written book for those who want to learn more about this emerging scientific field"
Full review: click here.
4) Choice Magazine (book review by Prof. Paul K. Strother of Boston College, MA), vol. 51 no. 12, August, 2014. (Choice Magazine reviews books that are useful for students and is aimed at US librarians and college teachers).
"...a
student whose
first exposure
to astrobiology
was through this
text would stand
a good chance of
comprehending
very quickly
some of the
principal
arguments that
are debated
today in the
primary
literature. This
work would be
perfect as a
supplementary
text to an
introductory
course; this
reviewer plans
to assign it in
his freshman
class on the
origins of life.
Summing
Up:
Highly
recommended.
Lower-division
undergraduates
and general
readers. "
Full review: click here
The book is amongst CHOICE's "Outstanding Academic Titles, 2014".
5) Geological Journal (book review by Prof. Stephen K. Donovan (Paleontologist), Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, The Netherlands), May 2015. (Geological Journal, 9999; doi: 10.1002/gj.2690.)
"...easy
and a joy to
read, perhaps
unexpectedly
so considering
its esoteric
subject...I
recommend it
to everyone
interested in
the Earth and
its environ in
the broadest
sense.
Full
review: click
here 6) Astrobiology Society of Great Britain (book review by Arthur Smalley of Leicester University, UK), Mar 31, 2014
"I
found this book to be an excellent introduction to the
subject of astrobiology".
"This is an excellent short introduction. It is well and economically written, punctuated by shafts of humour. It provides an accessible presentation of a vast swathe of science relevant to life in the Universe, includes plenty of references and suggestions for further reading, and is full of interesting insights. It freely admits to what is not yet known (a lot) and oftcn offers altcrnative, rival, explanations of observations. "
Full review: click here (behind a paywall).
"I particularly enjoyed the chapter on life in our solar system, in which the author gives a longer list of planetary bodies that may carry life than the typical handful, and with compelling reasoning ...highly recommended. "
Full review: click here