1993 Science Year

The 1993 Science Year from World Book covers the big science stories of 1992 with the editorial reliability the encyclopedia series is known for: the Hubble rescue mission, the Earth Summit, evidence for the Big Bang, condor reintroduction, and earthquake research all get substantive treatment. Updated encyclopedia entries on AIDS, Neanderthals, and meteorites round out a volume designed to give students and families a dependable annual record of where science stood. The prose is accessible enough for middle-school readers, making it a useful classroom or library reference for that era. The caveat is exactly what you would expect: this is a 1992 time capsule. The science has moved on. That said, as a reference for what scientists understood and celebrated in that year, it does its job honestly and well.