Created in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution and with the latest CGI technology, the Knowledge Encyclopedia is a bold new approach to family reference using 3-D rendered images to explore the wonders of the world in unprecedented detail.
Divided into six chapters — Space, Earth, Nature, Human Body, Science & Technology, and History & Culture, plus a reference section — a wide range of topics come to life. Illustrated with fascinating facts, maps, timelines, and graphics, the Knowledge Encyclopedia makes complex subjects easy to understand and is the perfect resource for kids, whether to help with homework or to pique their curiosity.
- Used Book in Good Condition
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
45 of 45 people found the following review helpful.
Best print encyclopedia I've seen in over 20 years
By Joseph Dewey
Watch Video Here: review/RK6YJRS0MV5BU This is such a cool encyclopedia. I actually didn't think I'd ever say that about a print encyclopedia again. Basically, every encyclopedia published in this century has to compete with Wikipedia, and quite frankly, most are losing.So, it's really cool to see an encyclopedia that is better in some ways than that online encyclopedia. Granted, it's not better in all ways. This encyclopedia certainly is not as exhaustive. But it is better in three important ways:#1: Full of topics that kids are interested in. Ask any kid what they're fascinated in, and this encyclopedia probably has a couple pages dedicated to it. Planets, Birds, Dinosaurs, Cars, Trains, Human Body, Robots. They're all in there. This encyclopedia has some really cool topics.#2: Thematically arranged. Almost every encyclopedia that I've seen is arranged alphabetically. This one is really well arranged by theme. So, if you look up something cool in the index, then you're probably also really interested in the page before and the page after. I know that I was.#3: Awesome integration of pictures in every page. Whoever did the graphical layouts of each page on this was awesome! The pictures really jump right out of the page at you, and they integrate really well into the message of each page. Watch my video for some examples of how cool some of these pages are.I definitely recommend getting this, if you either have a curious kid, or if you're and adult who needs to quickly catch up on learning some stuff you might have missed. It's a great way to complement what your kid is learning at school, as this has lots of school themes, too.Pros:+Nice and big, but not too big+Tons of fascinating topics+Great organization by themes+Tons of extremely wonderful photographs+Excellent graphical design and layout+A great way for a quick educationCons:-Some parts aren't 100% accurate-Many parts gloss over the information
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful.Outstanding in Every Way
By Debbie S. Glade
The truth of the matter is that Googling topics on the internet is not the be-all-end-all when it comes to obtaining precise information. But I sure do trust Smithsonian and DK Publishing to get it all right and put it all together in the most brilliant way. Many encyclopedia companies have stopped manufacturing physical book volumes of their titles, but a unique, ultra sophisticated version like this one is a welcome sight.DK Publishing used state-of-the-art CGI technology in order to produce 3D rendered images that explore the wonders of the world in unprecedented detail. This involves computer-generated graphics that allow the viewer to see what has never been seen before. It is this very mesmerizing technology that has changed the way movies are made..Within this meaty book's 360 pages are six chapters: 1) Space and Earth; 2) Nature; 3) Human Body; 4) Science & Technology; 5) History& Culture; 6) Reference section with charts, maps, flags, tables and a glossary. The useful index will help readers find what they're looking for quickly.It takes an entire team of scientists, illustrators, designers, writers, editors and more to complete a project of this scope. I am impressed with the way the book is written, as it covers a lot of detailed, sophisticated information, but in a way that will not overwhelm the children who read it. Nor do the writers talk down to the readers.I learned so much while perusing the pages, that I cannot even begin to share all that information with you. But if I had to choose my favorite sections, they would be The Big Bang Theory, Insects, Human Digestion and Shakespeare's Theater.Why Buy This Book?1) For starters, what is even more fascinating than how truly fascinating this book is, is the fact that it retails for only $29,99! How is it possible to create a book with a plethora of knowledge and visual splendor such as this, (with 360 pages!!) for that price? What a valuable additional this would be to both home and classroom libraries.2) There is nothing that can replace holding a physical book in your hands, turning the pages and getting so engrossed with the images that your curiosity soars higher than it's even been before. The difference between learning with a book like this vs. surfing the web is that all this essential information is right in your hands. You don't have to hunt for it. And because the book is so extensive, you and your child are sure to learn many things you did not even know existed, just by turning the pages. You cannot turn the pages online, and you're unlikely to find anything for children about science and history on the web that will capture their attention the way this will.3) Exceptional, sophisticated books like these are what inspire children to become scientists.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful.
Fun and Visually Stunning
By Logical Paradox
I loved books like this as a kid. A visual encyclopedia that could show you, in addition to just telling you, things about the world.The topical breakdown is across the spectrum, from science to history, and much in-between. Most of the book is defined by beautiful images, which are nice, but if they aren't actually showing you something worth seeing; well, then what's the point? Luckily, the use of graphics are geared to help elucidate principles and concepts, and show you how things work.For example, a section that visually depicts the properties of light, a pretty impressive diagram showing the scale of the stratosphere, and pretty much every image in the section on weather (I especially love the cut-away model of how a hurricane works). The cellular, skeletal, and muscular diagrams in the biology section are also very impressive.Overall, these are great. But a few pages are less impressive, like the Signals From Space pages, showing satellites in action. The written content is sometimes a bit over-simplifies, and due to the ambitious scope of the book, some sections are more so than others (how to you fit all human history into less than 100 pages?That being the case, some of the content choices are strange to me. The pages on robotics were very weak in my opinion, as was their choice to use NAO as their example. The history section tries to be multicultural and global, which a nice treatment of world religions for example, but still follows what may seem like a slightly Eurocentric, positivist narrative. I also wish the section on evolution had been fleshed out more... the evidence and process of natural selection are mostly visual and could have been depicted vividly. Instead, they include just a small illustration the beaks of Darwin's finches and an example of color adaptation in moths. Yawn.There are also a few errors I found... like the Civil War map that shows the battle of Gettysburg, PA, taking place in South of the PA border, in Virginia. Someone dropped the pin in the wrong place :-) The scale on some of the animal size comparisons are also slightly off.But these are small complaints. Overall, this is a very nice book, sure to capture the inquisitive mind for hours.
