As well as describing the sun itself and its internal structure, sunspots, and so on, Ridpath briefly shows how people's knowledge of the solar system has developed and will need to continue to develop. Coloured diagrams and photographs make an attractive, clear book. In one diagram, however, the labels for Neptune and Pluto have been swapped. Originally produced in Florence and illustrated by a team of three Italian illustrators, this book covers the history of the measurement of time. In layout it is not unlike the Eyewitness Guides with an introductory paragraph or two on each new topic with further information in lengthy captions adjacent to the illustrations.
Some double pages feature a large central illustration while others contain several smaller ones.
Contents cover calendars, clocks and seasons, including important figures who have contributed to the field and experiments for the reader. In this unusual book for children, the topics of plate tectonics and continental drift are described clearly and illustrated effectively with maps, diagrams and photographs. The contents follow a logical progression and the book concludes with a reading list containing references to journal articles as well as books. Bright blue borders, captions, endpapers and page numbers tone with the colours used in the illustrations to produce an attractive explanation of a complex subject. Illustrated by Giulio Maestro.