I used this as a textbook for a "volcanic plumbing" course in grad school, where one of our objectives was to learn about magma formation. The book starts off with how the earth was formed chemically, moving on to characteristics of material movement and behavior in the mantle, with some thoughts on the core. The strengths lie in providing petrological and geophysical data to explaining interior processes, as well as giving space for competing hypothesis. One weakness are some of the references to internet searches or "googlets", which work, with mixed results. However, references are easily accessible in the back of the book, complete with further reading suggestions and some explanation of more complex or controversial subjects. Recommended as an introduction to earth's internal processes for undergraduates and graduate students with prior coursework in geophysics and petrology.