Rose Center for Earth and Space: A Museum for the Twenty-First Century

In Rose Center for Earth and Space: A Museum for the Twenty-First Century, put together by the American Museum of Natural History, readers are treated to the facts and visual stimuli available at the museum's latest, greatest project. The book guides readers through the Hall of the Universe (which houses the Hayden Planetarium and its ""three-dimensional map of the real universe, carefully calculated and drawn from the best astronomical observations and data""; the Big Bang Theater; and the Cosmic Pathway) and the Hall of Planet Earth, which provides in-depth studies of the life of the planet, with billion-year-old rock samples, re-creations of earthquakes and recently solidified pure sulfur from volcano tops. Readers then get an insider's view of the building and workings of the impressive Rose Center (how, for instance, does one clean the glass walls and the huge metal sphere?). Children and adults, regular visitors, newcomers or people who have never been to the museum will delight in this well-produced, large-format guide, complete with dozens of color photos and illustrations.