This book is written as an introductory-level text on physical geography for university students. It is comprehensive in its coverage, with clear explanations and is well illustrated. Its material is presented in 24 chapters, which are thematically arranged starting with the Earth in its solar system, followed by atmospheric processes; climates (past, present and future); ecosystems, biogeography and soils; water, rivers and lakes; tectonic processes; landforms and erosion. Throughout there is consideration of the changing state of Earth as being the norm, and of the interaction of Earth's systems with human societies; this includes a chapter on humans as geographic agents. Each chapter ends with a brief summary followed by some review questions. There are also four appendices: Units of Measurement and Conversion; Global Climate Types and Descriptions (modified Köppen-Geiger System); Reading Topographic Maps (based on examples from USGS Topo maps); and one satellite and one topographic map, both global in extent. In addition there is a glossary and an index. Unlike some other similar books, there is no accompanying CD, but there are online resources, such as PowerPoint slides of diagrams, available at http://multimediafluids.uam.elogim.com/mk.

The book's introduction states that it is adopting a different tactic to that usual in teaching geography, i.e. a systems approach to understanding the character of the Earth, such as its ‘energy system’, ‘systems of water and air circulation’, ‘systems of currents coursing through the vastness of the oceans’, ‘systems of organisms forming a living skin over all the Earth's lands’. However, I disagree that this is a novel approach as it is a common structure to several other introductory books, such as Strahler & Strahler (Reference Strahler and Strahler2002) and Kump, Kasting & Crane (Reference Kump, Kasting and Crane2004).

One of the authors’ stated objectives is its approach to addressing the medium by which the subject is delivered: using a narrative style of prose woven into the graphics, which are shown alongside the relevant sections of the text. In this, it is partly successful. Every page includes photographs, diagrams or occasionally tables. These are produced in colour and are not cluttered with too much explanatory text. This makes the book visually pleasing. However, whether the narrative style of prose works will depend on the individual reader. The chatty style of writing appears in the introduction to many of the chapters, and is designed to draw the reader into the subject. An example is the story which begins Chapter 12, on soil systems, processes and formation: ‘It was a late afternoon call from Jack Goodnoe. “Bill, what do you know about soils on Staten Island?” “Next to nothing”, I replied. “Why do you ask?” “Well, we’ve got a project there planning a new cemetery. It calls for thousands of burials, as well as mausoleums, roads, waterlines and landscape. We need to know about soils and drainage both of the surface and at depths of 10 feet or so …”‘ (p. 293). To many lecturers, this is probably an unfamiliar approach, but it may work well with students. This style of writing does not, however, continue beyond the introductions; explanations of different system processes, case studies and other material are very clear and accessible. While the book's focus is global in extent, perhaps inevitably many examples are from North America.

Although this book is written as an introductory university student text, the level of detail and many of the topics covered would not look out of place in some British A-Level text books, for example the information on glacial geomorphology, or river systems. However, the breadth of its coverage is far greater than those and goes well beyond that covered in A-Level syllabuses. Unfortunately, I cannot comment on where it lies with respect to school curricula in other countries. For British undergraduates it is a potentially useful resource for revisiting topics previously studied or to learn the basics before studying new topics. However, I would not recommend it, to my students, as a book to complement their first-year lecture courses. This is because there are no references within the text to sources of information, and there are no suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter as found, for example, in Kump, Kasting & Crane (Reference Kump, Kasting and Crane2002) or Holden (Reference Holden2008). To my mind, this is a limitation; although the book may serve to whet a curious student's appetite to study physical geography in further depth, it provides no help in doing so.