Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 7, 2020
I have all three editions of DK "The Universe". The 3rd edition offers the following revisions from the 2nd edition:
Many thumbnail-sized photos have been added of revised throughout the book, including those on pages 22, 24, 26, 27, 28, 31, 36, 37,41, 43, 49, 54, 55, 90, 94, 105, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 170, 172, 181, 220, 227, 238, 239, 240, 243, 252, 257, 264, 265, 269, 271, 284, 285, 286, 311, 312, 320, 323, 324, 336, and 346. The section of Mercury has been expanded and now included complete photographic coverage of the planet. The Moon landing table on page 141 has been updated. A two page photo of Mount Sharp has replaced the Martian Dunes photo on pages 168 -169 in the Mars section. Several additions to the asteroids section, including 1 Ceres on page 175., 101955 Bennu on page 176, and 162173 Ryugu on page 177. There is a new photo of "Saturn from above" on pp. 198-199, a new section on Pluto and Charon on pp. 208-209, and a new Carina Nebula spread on pp. 248-249. "Gomez Hamburger Nebula" has been replaced with "Southern Crab Nebula" on page 262, and Extra Solar Planets on pp. 296-299 has been revisied. A new photo of "Beyond the Milky Way" appears on pp. 300-301. There is a new photo of the constellation Octans on p. 425. The photo of the Leonid meteor shower on pp. 426-427 has been replaced with a photo of the Perseid meteor shower. The "Monthly Sky Guide" section tables have been updated through 2027 and eclipses through 2028. There may be other revisions I haven't noticed yet. Unlike the 1st and 2nd editions, the 3rd edition of "Universe" does not have a slipcover.
I have collected a sizeable astronomy library over the past 50 years, and I consider this to be the best overall book. There are a few topics I would have liked to have seen addressed, for example there are only minor mentions of dark matter and dark energy even though they comprise 95% of the universe. However, this book contains a wealth of information that should appeal to anyone or any family that is interested in science, knowledge in general, or the nature of existence. I find it particularly appealing that with this book, you have information in your hand that humans have been striving to learn for thousands of years.
The only bad note is that the book arrived slightly damaged, apparently someone had dropped it on the right upper corner and dented the cardboard cover and slightly wrinkled a few hundred of the pages. Unfortunately, similar damage has occurred on other DK Smithsonian books I have ordered from Amazon, including "Science" and "Earth", so beware.
