Allègre是顶尖的同位素地球化学家。由于对行星和壳幔演化认识上的贡献，1986年与Wasserburg一起获得Crafood prize。其他地球化学或地质学上的大奖就不用说了。

今天推荐他2008年的新书《Isotope Geology》。以下是同行评价：

'A prospective buyer of Allègre's new book on Isotope Geology will immediately want to know if it might supplant the classic and long-time favorite of the similar title by Gunter Faure. While similar in coverage, many recent advances are only to be found in Allegre's more recent book. Importantly, Allègre's book utilizes a novel and very effective use of "worked problems" … an extremely useful pedagogical approach. This textbook will be useful for a wide audience, from undergraduate generalists, to graduate students learning the nitty gritty tools of the trade, to senior practitioners such as myself who need a refresher in some forgotten arenas.'
- Stanley R. Hart, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

‘ … written by one of the leading geochemists for over four decades. No stone has been left unturned, whether it comes from the interior of the Earth, from the oceans, or from other planets. It is written in Allègre's unmistakable style, inordinately clear and sharp. Difficult concepts are presented without concession but are made accessible to a broad readership. A bridge between foundations and the cutting edge. A must-have for any classroom and personal library.’
- Francis Albarede, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon

‘This book, written by a most prominent geochemist, is an excellent book for anyone (from serious researchers to the upper-level undergraduate students) who wishes to learn the history, principles and applications of isotope geochemistry to geological problems.’
- Hiroshi Ohmoto, Director of the Astrobiology Research Center, Penn State University

我个人大概看了下，应该是和Faure 1986年二版《Principle of Isotope Geology》同一水平的书。适用对象相同，都是入门书；都有对各种方法从发现到应用到局限比较完整的论述；都是举重若轻，同位素地质年代学和地球化学工具在他们眼里，都是玩具。

不同点：Allègre新书有这二十年同位素地质学的进展（非传统领域除外）；有对同位素数据评估方法的论述。可能还渗透有Allègre的研究哲学，这是猜测的。

另外，作者在80年代写过一本科普书《地球、陨石和太阳系》，有中文译本。也是一本很好的书。