Carrying forth Tom L. McKnight's well-known thematic focus on landscape appreciation, this best-seller fosters a solid understanding of Earth and its physical geography. Its clear writing style, superior art program, and abundant pedagogy appeal to a wide variety of readers. This edition includes thoroughly updated content and introduces renowned illustrator Dennis Tasa - yet it maintains the proven approach first presented by McKnight more than two decades ago. Introduction to Earth; Portraying Earth; Introduction to the Atmosphere; Insolation and Temperature; Atmospheric Pressure and Wind; Atmospheric Moisture; Atmospheric Disturbances; Climate and Climate Change; The Hydrosphere; Cycles and Patterns in the Biosphere; Terrestrial Flora and Fauna; Soils; Introduction to Landform Study; The Internal Processes; Preliminaries to Erosion: Weathering and Mass Wasting; Fluvial Processes; Solution Processes and Karst Topography; The Topography of Arid Lands; Glacial Modification of Terrain; Coastal Processes and Terrain. A useful reference for anyone interested in learning more about physical geography.