Life in the Solar System and Beyond: The Solar System and Beyond (Springer-Praxis Books in Astronomy and Space Sciences)

Rating:
Summary: Astrobiology, with an emphasis on extrasolar planets
Review: This is a well written book. But there is a question: if you see this book in the store, you may think you are seeing double.

You see, there are two books which are almost the same. This one. And "An Introduction to Astrobiology" edited by Iain Gilmour and Mark Sephton. Which one should you buy?

This one.

This book is a little more up-to-date. It has more about what you ought to want the book for anyway, the extrasolar planets. Still, the books are nearly identical, the more so given that the author of this book wrote two of the extrasolar planet chapters in the other book.

If you get the other book, you'll get a chapter on Titan that this book doesn't have. And prettier pictures, and pages with a nicer and glossier feel.

Still, if you want a book on astrobiology in general, well, both books skimp a little on the biology part. My choice for an overall astrobiology book would be Lunine's book, rather than either this one or the Gilmour book.