Vladimir Vernadsky (1863-1945) was a Russian geochemist and mineralogist who is considered to be one of the founders of geochemistry and biogeochemistry. This complete translation of his ground-breaking work, The Biosphere, is essential reading for anyone looking to comprehend the nature of the Earth in its planetary, cosmic scale.

Frank B. Salisbury is an American plant physiologist who served for a time as head of the Utah State University (USU) department of Plant science. He has a BS and MA from the University of Utah. He received his Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology. He taught for eleven years as a professor at Colorado State University before joining the faculty of USU.