This is Planet Earth: Your Ultimate Guide to the World We Call Home, curated by the expert editorial team at New Scientist, is an engrossing and accessible popular science masterpiece that belongs to their celebrated Instant Expert series.

Formed roughly $4.6\text{ billion}$ years ago from the lingering cosmic debris of the Big Bang and ancient, long-dead stars, Earth began its journey as an unremarkable, volatile rock. This book serves as a fascinating, comprehensive biography of how that ordinary sphere evolved into the most complex, dynamic, and breathtaking oasis in the known universe—and, so far, the only planet capable of harboring life.