This four-volume set, edited by leading experts in soil science, brings together in one collection a series of papers that have been fundamental to the development of soil science as a defined discipline. Some of the papers were first published many years ago, but they remain classics in their fields and retain their relevance to the understanding of current issues. The papers have been selected with the assistance of an eminent international editorial board.
The set includes a general introduction and each volume is introduced by a new overview essay, placing the selected papers in context. The range of subject matter is considerable, including traditional subjects such as soil genesis, physics and mineralogy, applied disciplines such as soils and hydrology, land degradation and plant nutrition, as well as more contemporary topics such as soil pollution, land use and environmental change. Overall, the set provides students and teachers, confronted with thousands of journal articles, book chapters and grey literature stretching back over nearly a century, with a ready-made selection of and commentary on the most important key writings in soil science.
It will be an essential reference for libraries concerned with earth sciences, environmental studies, agriculture and forestry.