One for your Geography colleagues perhaps? Review: A Little History of the Earth -- two reviews in one!

I submitted my review of this book to Teach Secondary magazine, an educational magazine in the UK. The first review below is what the magazine published. The second one is what I actually wrote! In substantive terms there is little difference between the two, but you may find it interesting to see what the editor altered.

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The published review

A Little History of the Earth

(Woodward, Old Street, £16.99)

When you visit an unfamiliar city, one thing you can do is book yourself on a bus tour. The guide will point out the most important landmarks and where they are in relation to each other, leaving you better prepared to later explore them at your leisure, should you wish. Well, what bus tours do for cities, this book does for geology, covering as it does a vast breadth of material that takes in not just the Earth but also the Moon, as well as Homo sapiens' ongoing search for extraterrestrial life, science fiction, earthquakes, oxygen and even the siting of canals. For all that, it's a very easy read that contains lots of potentially useful material for a range of subjects beyond just geography, including physics, chemistry, biology and even creative writing.

Reviewed by Terry Freedman

bit.ly/Eclecticism

My original review

A Little History of the Earth

(Woodward, Old Street, £16.99)

When you visit a city with which you are unfamiliar, one thing you could do for a quick win is book a ticket on a bus tour. The guide will point out all the most important landmarks, and where they are in relation to each other. Then, at some time in the future, you can, if you wish, spend more time at one or two of the sights.

What the bus tour does for the city, this book does for geology. It covers a vast breadth of material, taking in not only the earth but the moon, the search for extra-terrestrial life, science fiction, earthquakes, oxygen and even the siting of canals. It is a very easy read and in a school context would provide material for geography, physics, chemistry, biology and even creative writing.

Of course, being "a little history" it lacks depth, but should whet the reader's appetite to explore further themselves.

For your English colleagues: A Word for all Seasons -- two reviews in one!

I submitted my review of this book to Teach Secondary magazine, an educational magazine in the UK. The first review below is what the magazine published. The second one is what I actually wrote! In substantive terms there is little difference between the two, but you may find it interesting to see what the editor altered.

Click the pic to see this book on Amazon (affiliate link)

A Word For All Seasons

(Crystal, Bodleian, £20)

Published review

Mr Crystal has produced another richly fascinating book, this time focusing on the language we associate with different seasons. Much more than a mere dictionary of word meanings and idioms, it contains a wealth of information about how the meanings of 'seasonal' words and expressions have changed over time. Lavishly illustrated, with beautiful engravings by Eric Ravilious, it includes a number of explanatory excerpts from novels, reports and poems to help unpack the sometimes surprisingly dense meanings behind such common terms as 'season tickets', 'Easter eggs' and even 'mince pies'. Whether you're searching for coursework inspiration, ideas for a cross- curricular project or just a snippet of info to help enliven a class discussion, A Word for All Seasons won't disappoint.

Reviewed by Terry Freedman

My original review

A Word For All Seasons

(Crystal, Bodleian, £20)

Mr Crystal has done it again: written a fascinating and very rich book, this time of words associated with the seasons. Much more than a dictionary of word meanings or of idioms, it includes information about how the meaning of the word or expression has changed over time. Furthermore, it is lavishly illustrated in two respects. Firstly, through the beautiful engravings by Eric Ravilious, and secondly the inclusion of excerpts from novels, reports and poems. Season tickets, Easter eggs and even mince pies are just a few of the common terms covered.

Whether you’re looking for inspiration for some course work, a cross-curricular project, or simply a snippet of information to enliven a subject, A Word for all Seasons won’t disappoint. In some respects it reminds me of A Date With Language, even though it’s quite different.