2 stars (BUYERS BE AWARE 8th Edition Published) - Fall 2004 & Spring 2005 Students: the 8th edition of this book is published and comes with a CD, and, in some cases, a free world atlas. Check with your instructor for requirements. In any case, I wouldn't spend $100 for the 7th edition. Haven't read the book yet, so no rating. 4 stars (Very well-written and illustrated text with great photos) - Obviously written by authors who have a deep appreciation for this subject and a desire to pass on their knowledge, this text is useful not just for students of physical geography, but for anyone wanting a deeper understanding of geopolitics, area studies, anthropology, world history, etc. For example, I would have no clue about the culture, history and politics of Central Asia/Afghanistan and vicinity (my area of interest) without having a comprehensive understanding of the physical terrain and climate of this region--and how its inhabitants have adapted to it. I would not have gained this understanding without reading this text. My only complaint is that I had hoped for more emphasis on environmental issues. The authors may feel that this is beyond the scope of an introductory text; but problems such as the shrinking Aral Sea and tropical rainforest destruction are so widely catastrophic that I believe they deserve greater attention and understanding even at the introductory level. 5 stars (still on my bookshelf) - I remember this book from when I was an undergraduate, lo these many years ago (OK, so it was an earlier edition)! I'm glad to see it is still available and updated -- I enjoyed it then and I am using it now in answering the questions my children throw at me. This is an excellent resource book. I probably wouldn't pick it up as a light read at bedtime, but if you are interested in this topic you could do far worse than to get _Physical Geography_. ... Prentice Hall :: Science & Geography :: Science&Mathematics :: Science :: Physical Geography :: Earth Sciences - Geography :: Darrel Hess :: Tom L McKnight :: :: Physical Geography - A Landscape Appreciation (8th Edition)
3 stars (Geosystems/Sixth Edition) - Good Book! Lots of good illustrations and examples, with an overubundance of current world data, and concepts. This book would be great to use in conjunction with classroom lectures for a sixteen week or full semester course, so that you have an opportunity to absorb pertinent material. With the amount of information in this book I would not recommend its' use for a short eight week internet course. 1 stars (This is NOT a paperback textbook!) - What Amazon neglects to inform you on this page is that this book is actually the *STUDY GUIDE* for the hardcover textbook, not the textbook in paperback form. Buyer beware!! 1 stars (Ugh!) - The subject of Physical Geography is challenging enough, the last thing students need is a poorly written text book. ... Prentice Hall :: Science & Geography :: Science&Mathematics :: Science :: Physical geography :: Earth Sciences - Geography :: Robert Christopherson :: :: Geosystems - An Introduction to Physical Geography (6th Edition)