The Nature and Properties of Soils, 14th Edition
A Fun, Readable, and Thorough Introduction to Soil Science, June 11, 2002 Reviewer: Amber Kerr, Berkeley, CA, USA My "Science of Soils" class at Stanford University (Autumn '01) used "The Nature and Properties of Soils" as our main textbook. It is clearly written, easy to read, and has lots of helpful figures (including graphs, diagrams, drawings, and black-and-white and color photos). The chapters are well organized, so that you can find exactly what you need to know. The authors include hundreds of websites for those who want more information, and make the book more readable by starting off each chapter with a quote and a "big picture" statement. "The Nature and Properties of Soils" has a good mix of theoretical and practical information. Wherever possible, the authors do sample calculations and describe applications for agriculture, ecology, and engineering. They thoroughly cover every major topic in soil science, as well as delving into some more specialized ones (for example, symptoms of micronutrient deficiencies in plants). In conclusion, I've found this textbook to be both very information-rich and very readable, and highly recommend it.(The otherday I caught my boyfriend, who's a materials engineer, reading it for fun... that's about the highest accolade any textbook can get!)