A fascinating guide to some of the most remarkable natural wonders on our planet, this is a book which captivated me when I was a young kid. I read it again today, partly for nostalgia but also because it is really good. It has lots of interesting facts and evocative photographs of each wonder. Both as a kid and now as an adult, I am quite taken by the beauty of many of these places and hope to visit them at some point in my life. The Norwegian fjord of Sognefjord, the Königssee lake in the Bavarian Alps, Milford Sound in New Zealand and the Iguaçu Falls on the Brazil/Argentina border have always been at the top of my wish-list of places to visit, simply because as a kid I was entranced by their beauty and tranquillity as captured in this book.

It is not a traveller's guide, and focuses more on the geographical and geological side of how these wonders were formed over millennia. This is what I am most fascinated by: the awesome power of nature in forging these striking places. The sheer scale of the Grand Canyon has always been staggering, and consequently Arizona has always been high on my wish-list, particularly as it is also home to other intriguing wonders detailed here, including Meteor Crater and Monument Valley. One can never cease to be impressed by how our world was formed, and the human imagination cannot truly comprehend the true might and force of tectonic plates crashing together, forming mountains, never mind the changes wrought over millions of years by rivers, like the mighty Colorado forging the Grand Canyon. Though Rupert Matthews, the author of this atlas, sticks to facts and figures, he nevertheless conveys this, the awesome power of nature, very well and allows you to marvel and indeed wonder at these phenomena.

The author also draws on anthropology and archaeology to address the human impact on these natural wonders, and there is an awareness of environmental and conservation issues which is earnest but, refreshingly, never preachy. Matthews just demonstrates how remarkable these wonders are and, simply by virtue of their beauty, power or uniqueness, you reflexively agree with any attempt to ensure they remain unspoilt. He also notes, through the text and also extremely helpful diagrams, how these wonders have formed and how, over time, they will change. Niagara Falls, for example, will in about 25,000 years have retreated fully into the Great Lakes. Lake Baikal in Russia (or the USSR, as the atlas - showing its age - refers to it) will in a few million years split Asia into two. It is stuff like this which really gives you an appreciation for the changing nature of our world and an understanding of just how small a space humankind occupies on a timeline of the Earth's existence. The natural phenomena that this atlas describes really show you that the world was undergoing mind-boggling changes long before we were here, and will long after we are gone. Our race will be witness to just a tiny moment of that evolution, but it is fascinating for us to even contemplate such changes.

These were the kind of thoughts that were swirling around in my head while I was reading this book, and I imagine it is a book that will give any reader an appreciation of the staggering power and beauty of the natural world. Overall, the atlas was an illuminating guide to a choice selection of natural phenomena, which will engage any reader in feelings of awe and wanderlust. ( )