Review by Choice Review
It is somewhat surprising that a publisher would include a book such as this in a series titled "Library of Space Science and Space Technology." The capture theory of solar system formation is rather far from present mainstream scientific beliefs. Very few modern planetary scientists believe that this is a viable theory, and no major papers have appeared in the standard refereed journals during the past ten years. The authors have done a good job of explaining their pet theory and, in attempting to refute other theories, they have succinctly described the problems that face researchers in this field. The mathematics is at the pre-calculus level. The line drawings are very good, but the six plates are of poor quality. The authors themselves conclude the text by saying, "Any theory worth taking seriously must be vulnerable. The Capture Theory is certainly vulnerable and, for the time being at least, is worth taking seriously." A library serving graduate students may want this volume since it is the only book devoted to the capture theory available. Its use for undergraduates is questionable since it does not produce a balanced picture of current scientific belief. -M. K. Hemenway, University of Texas at Austin
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
