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An Oryx Book
Book Code:
OXWATER
ISBN:
1-57356-304-8
ISBN-13:
978-1-57356-304-8
424 pages, figures, photos, tables
Greenwood Press
Publication:
3/30/2003
Availability:
In Stock
Media Type:
Hardcover
Trim Size:
7 x 10
Subjects:
Reviews:
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[s]uitable to a wide audience. It is a concise yet useful work on a wide range of water-related topics. Recommended.
—Choice
October 2003
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[A]n ideal school and public library reference book.
—SciTech Book News
September 2003
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Suitable for high school and college students and general readers.
—Reference Reviews
January 2004
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Expect the unexpected as you leaf through this curious collection of brief articles related to water....[R]ecommended for general audiences or undergraduate students.
—E-Streams
October 2003
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[a] wonderful browsing book where one can learn about the ancient art of dowsing and find a discussion of limnology....an attractive resource for public and academic libraries and might also be considered for high-school libraries, where it could be useful for reports.
—Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin
September 15, 2003
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As a first source tool, it will serve both high school and college students.
—Gale Free Resources Reference Reviews
July 2003
Description:
Water breaks rocks, levels mountains, and cuts canyons. It comes in many forms, from puddles, to icicles, to mist, to tidal waves. It covers most of the Earth and constitutes a majority of the human body. Too much water can destroy entire regions-so can too little. Life depends on it. We drink it, bathe in it, swim in it, drown in it, fish in it, heat up and cool off in it. One of the most versatile and familiar elements in the world, water is also one of the most mysterious.
The 236 entries in this book comprise an A-Z overview of water's manifold roles in human society and the natural world throughout history. Topics include boats and ships, dams, groundwater, hydrology, ice, the Johnstown Flood, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, sea monsters, surface tension, and water wheels, and much more. Scientific and technical issues are explored, including the physical and chemical properties of water, steam, and ice; the uses to which water and steam are put; and the purification, transfer, and uses of water by communities. The hydrologic cycle is explained, with attention to the properties and distribution of ice masses, and the properties of oceans and rivers.
Philosophical, mystical, metaphorical, and symbolic roles of water in literature, mythology, religion, the visual arts, and music are considered, as are individuals and organizations responsible for contributing to our understanding of water. This book includes a bibliography and a guide to related topics. Each entry concludes with a list of further readings.
Attention is also paid to the philosophical, mystical, metaphorical, and symbolic role that water has played for humans in literature, mythology, religion, the visual arts, and music. Finally, a number of individuals and organizations that now make and have made important contributions to our understanding of water and its role in human life and in the natural world are included. Sample entries include water wheel, surface tension, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, sea monsters, Johnstown Flood, hydrology, ice, groundwater, dams, Rachel Carson, and boats and ships. The book also includes a bibliography and a guide to related topics, and each of the entries concludes with a list of further readings.
Table of Contents:
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Guide to Selected Topics
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Preface
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Introduction
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The Encyclopedia of Water
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Bibliography
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Index
LC Card Number:
2002070031
LCC Class:
GB655
Dewey Class:
553
www.praeger.com/catalog/OXWATER.aspx
