"Have you ever wondered how we know what climates were like in times past, why there are oceans on Earth but not on Mars or Venus, or how Earth's history can be read from a pile of rocks? If these or similar questions have crossed your mind, then The Earth Machine: The Science of a Dynamic Planet is the book for you. Written by Ed Mathez and Jim Webster, two of the scientists who assembled the recently installed Hall of Planet Earth (HOPE) in the American Museum of Natural History, the book is a lively and up-to-date presentation of what scientists know, and still don't know, about how our dynamic planet works. HOPE'S life-sized displays are remarkable- the exhibit is unique and should not be missed-and the stories of how the displays were collected and brought to the museum are interspersed throughout the book. The stories emphasize that the study of the "Earth Machine" is a global venture. You may not have a chance to travel to the corners of the globe to see all of the evidence for yourself, so do the next best thing and let Mathez and Webster take you on a voyage of discovery through their engagingly written and beautifully illustrated book."