This is a four‐volume encyclopedia about water. I was only sent the first volume for review, but as this includes a full list of contents and full index I have been able to make some judgement on the entire set. There are around 300 articles overall written by a team of over 100 experts. The scope of the book is wide. Just a few of the topic outline headings will give an idea: Agriculture, Careers, Climate Change, Groundwater, National and International Issues, Technology, Using water. Taking just the last of these headings, some of the articles include bottled water, desalination, navigation, pumps, sport, and wastewater treatment and management. (Any of you who follow my reviews will know that I am pleased to see the last item, although as it was in the final volume I was not able to read it!)
There is a slight bias towards US examples; Columbia River Basin, Chesapeake Bay and Mary Stoneman Douglas (champion of the Everglades), and the aspects of law are international or US. Even the sidebars such as Guantánamo Bay, and who owns the Panama Canal, show a bit of a bias, although these two did interest me as did many of the US examples I had not read about in detail before.
The book is very well designed and looks good. The pages are divided with the inner two‐thirds being text and the outer third containing definitions and a few sidebars. Pictures either fit in the text space or the outer third of the page; occasionally they spread the width of the page. There are more than 575 pictures. These form a splendid collection and include good photojournalism, clear geological examples and a few eye catchers, such as the globe in a chemistry flask and salt being spun out of a vortex. The articles have short bibliographies that often include Web sites. All the glossary items are pulled together at the end of each volume so they provide a dictionary. A “For your reference” section includes metric conversions, symbols, abbreviations and acronyms and a geological time chart. All the introductory and indexing information is repeated in each volume. Although this uses up space it does make it easier to use in a reference library or classroom situation.
As I recently reviewed a similar work (Newton, 2003) (RR 2004/31) I ought to make a comparison. Both cover much the same material and are equally good on accuracy, informativness and readability. I would have preferred the present book when I was at school as it is bright, exciting and obviously easy to use. Now I prefer single volume books with fewer pictures and less user aids. Outside the USA Water: Science and Issues is recommended to schools and public reference libraries. Within the USA, because of the many American examples and particularly the references to US law, it will have a wider market. If water management or policy is the main focus or your organization both could be justified, as there are sufficient differences in topic selection and thereby overall reference value.
