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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well balanced and engaging modern cultural history of Mars, January 21, 2003
This review is from: Mapping Mars: Science, Imagination, and the Birth of a World (Hardcover)
I bought this book on a whim after getting interested in Mars colonization after reading Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy, to which Dr. Morton's book is an excellent non-fiction counterpoint. Not only does he set forth a well-spoken, engaging exposition of the 20th century's cultural and scientific history of Mars, he balances this with a keen sense of the limitations of human knowledge, telling his story in the context of real, live human figures at the forefront of Mars exploration. The central theme, of maps and how they relate to place - and furthermore, how we relate to those maps and places - sets off an easily read story of what Mars has meant to recent society, how scientists have shaped that understanding, and how that understanding is both formed and limited by our extended observers, the robot orbiters and landers that we've sent to our red neighbor. Highly recommended reading both for historical and cultural interest.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Looking at the Face of a Neighbor, September 11, 2002
This review is from: Mapping Mars: Science, Imagination, and the Birth of a World (Hardcover)
The one geographic feature of the planet Mars that most people can think of is the famous "Face on Mars," a huge rock formation which is, if the fringe interpreters have it right, a gigantic, one-generic-face Mount Rushmore, to be viewed by us humans as sculpted by esthetically inclined Martians. There is more to Martian geography than that, and _Mapping Mars: Science, Imagination, and the Birth of a World_ (Picador) by Oliver Morton, barely mentions the Face, and does not stoop to debunk it. Once again, real science is shown to be much more fascinating than fringe science. _Mapping Mars_ provides a history of how we know what we know about the most nearly Earth-like neighbor, and shows how we are actively creating a world in our own image. There have been generations of pre-rocketry astronomers who tried to make sense of our neighbor planet. Morton gives a history of the English astronomers who named features on Mars after Englishmen, and French, Frenchmen, as well as Percival Lowell's certainty that he could see canals the Martians had made. The detailed mapping, begun with the later powerful earthly telescopes, was not all done with photography. "The well-trained human eye could seize such brief impressions, understand what was seen in them, and remember it," allowing much more resolution than photographs, and the book is illustrated with examples of different artistic versions of maps and terrain. Many science fiction books have tried to take in our understanding of the terrain and the ecology. Movies, however, have not done a good job, disregarding science; "... the blatantly ignored scientific advisor on _Mission to Mars_ ... has been stoically bearing the ridicule of his colleagues ever since." The colors of the terrain and sky have become understood, after much haggling, but the status of water on the planet is still under debate. Morton covers the debate about going to Mars, and if we do, should we be thinking of hijacking its ecology to transform it into something we could traverse without pressure suits? Terraforming Mars, transforming it into something like home, sweet home, is on the minds of not just impractical visionaries, but geologists and chemists as well. Morton has given a wonderful history of a very human enterprise, something we have accomplished and about which we can be truly proud. His summary of what we know about this mysterious planet may need updating after the next lander starts sending back data, but his book will remain an important description of how we got where we are now. He has a fine balance of a reporter's detachment and engagement with his subjects, and even the detailed scientific descriptions are clear. At heart, however, his book is an optimistic and inspiring look at how scientists, astrophysicists, and dreamers sustain Mars as the obsession which it will always be.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A lucid and engaging gem of a book, February 22, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Mapping Mars: Science, Imagination, and the Birth of a World (Hardcover)
Mapping Mars covers more ground than its title would suggest. Not only does it give an enjoyable account of the attempts to describe Mars' topography, it also tells of how scientists, artists, and authors have grappled with the red planet over the years. Mars seems to be dear to Morton's heart -- he turned down the opportunity to be a founding member of the Planetary Society -- but he provides a very balanced view of the sometimes abrasive personalities behind Mars exploration.
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