The Earth Manual explains the physical world in which we live by first setting the Earth within the context of the planetary system which orbits the Sun. Where appropriate, the unique properties of the Earth are contrasted with those on other planets. Why, for instance, is Earth the only planet with highly mobile plates, why has its atmosphere been continuously changing over time since the planet formed and why has it got such a large [and only] Moon? The manual explores why the atmosphere changed over time in response to the evolutionary progress of increasingly advanced life forms, examining why the origin of plants and the first trees re-set the atmospheric clocks and began to transform the Earth for ever. It looks at how the Earth has laid down a vast storehouse of organic and inorganic matter which life has sapped into for in its own advantage and we will explore how the adaptation of living things, from plants to animals, has created a world in a continuous state of evolution. Finally, the book examines the forensic methods used by science to unlock secrets about the history of the Earth, explaining the tools used by scientists, geologists, biologists, botanists and zoologists to provide the knowledge which has formed the substance of this book.