Mars: A Tour of the Human Imagination [Hardcover]

Eric S. Rabkin (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0275987191 | ISBN-13: 978-0275987190 | Publication Date: June 30, 2005

What is Mars? From the ancients to the present, we have imagined Mars repeatedly and studied it longingly. As scientific knowledge of Mars has changed, so has the cultural imagination of this celestial neighbors. The earth-centered beginnings of astronomy connected the blood-red planet with the God of War. The Copernican Revolution and a later, simple mistranslation from Italian supported fantastic visions of distant Mars as the abode of life variously bizarre, ideal, or malignant. In the work of H. G. Wells and Orson Welles, in books, films, radio, and television, Mars reflected not only eternal hopes and fears but then-current political realities. In recent years, NASA-fication has brought Mars home, imagining the Red Planet almost as an eighth continent of Earth, a candidate for exploration and exploitation both in fiction and in fact. Rabkin weaves a chronological tale of many threads, including mythology, astrology, astronomy, literary criticism, and cultural studies.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[T]his book contains a wealth of information… In particular, the sections on early ideas, theories and observers such as Copernicus, Kepler, Cassini, et al, are very informative, and this book is worth having as a reference on the Red Planet."

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"[P]robes the ways in which Mars has influenced not only the field of astronomy but also mythology, astrology, cultural and literary studies, and more."

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Library Journal

"[O]ften clever and even enlightening….Comprehensive collections."

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Choice

"[A]n interersting, informative, and different perspective on the planet."

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B&F

"Mars has fascinated us since the time we emerged from the ooze and looked skyward. Both H.G. Wells and Orson Welles found it a source of inspiration, and were it not for Mars the television series My Favorite Martian would have to be called My Favorite Californian. Rabkin offers about 60 short chapters on the reasons why the Red Planet hangs over our science, our speculative literature (both good and bad), and our fantasies. He includes period illustrations of those involved, including Mars itself, and a nifty shot of Martin the Martian, foe of Bugs Bunny."

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Popular Astronomy

Book Description

As both an enduring object of curiosity and as a celestial embodiment of abstract ideas, Mars offers a fascinating and revealing focus for the historical understanding of the interplay of the physical world, the fanciful world, and the purportedly scientific world that grows from both.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 232 pages
• Publisher: Praeger (June 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275987191
• ISBN-13: 978-0275987190
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,174,854 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Misleading review above., March 28, 2006

By 

M. Jourdan - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mars: A Tour of the Human Imagination (Hardcover)

In the editorial reviews section further up on this page, they quote Choice magazine as saying, "[O]ften clever and even enlightening....Comprehensive collections." This is a decidedly misleading summary of Choice's review. What the review actually said was: "Although the McLuhanesque multiplicity of words and images is often clever and even enlightening, the book never settles into a discourse appropriate for scholars or engaging to general readers. ^BSumming Up: Optional. Comprehensive collections only." It is irritating when lukewarm reviews are presented as raves.