Mars (DK Eyewitness Books)

A big fan of the Red Planet, I must say that I was impressed with this beautiful book. Yes, it is a kids' book; however, it can be enjoyed by teens and adults as well. The cover captures the excitement of Mars, but the real satisfaction is within the those covers. Images! Images Images! Bright, clear, crisp, thought-provoking! They describe the science, and they fire the imagination. The inside page offers a large, captivating illustration of one of the MARS Rovers. As one moves through the book, the reader can see a model of a Martian snowflake; Martian atmosphere; topography map of Mars; The Face on Mars; Mars Global Surveyor; Pathfinder; Mars history including ancient coins, maps, sketches, telescopes, pop conceptions like War of the Worlds and Flash Gordon;Mariners 6, 7, 9 missions; Viking mission, Mars' place in the Solar system and planetary facts; the ages of Mars; Phobos & Deimos, the Martian Moon; Sojourner Rover Mission; Martian Canyons; craters & volcanoes; Speculations on Martian Water--past and present; Martian Meteorites; Mars Rovers mission; Unsuccessful missions to Mars; Europe's Mars Express; Martian Mysteries; Future exploration; Colonization & terra-forming; Did You Know Facts section; Martian Timeline; How to Observe Mars; and an excellent glossary.

I was most impressed with the Olympus Mons pictures in this book. They really do the Solar System's largest volcano photographic justice.

I usually like DK products / books because they are always thorough, researched, and well made. Pictures are well-placed and well captioned; fonts are clear and easy to read. This book, to me, even exceeds their normal quality. A whole heap of information is stacked in such a small space. This is a must addition to any Red Planet fan's library. Truly, this is a primer for introducing Mars to others...young or otherwise.

The illustration and level of detail in the writing make this great for kids and adults! Terrific job!