Customer Reviews

Mars (Space Science Series)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a Mars enthusiast, I originally bought this book because I just couldn't find anything really new in any other kind of book.

I knew some of this book would be outdated. Indeed, it predates by a few years PathFinder, Global Surveyor and the brand new Odyssey. But you just cannot invalidate 1500 pages of science in a few years, so I bought it.

Well, I was not disappointed! There is one (or more) chapter for every topic you could think of about Mars. And each chapter contains tons of scientifically accurate data, presented in an completely neutral way. Basically, everything is new, or if I thought I knew it, the book just goes way further.

This book is not for the casual reader. You must be highly motivated and/or and technically-educated to make the most of it.

And, of course, you must realize that this book is only a summary of what you could learn about the planet if you had the time (and mental capacity) to handle all of it.

And, you should also be aware that this book is only one book about one planet. Because the Arizona Press has "a few" other books, about "Mercury" (800 pages), "Venus II" (1500 pages), "Uranus" (1076 pages), "Neptune and Triton" (1249), "Pluto and Charon" (728 pages), etc.

As soon as I have finished "Mars", I will go and buy the rest (one at a time), because you just can't beat this collection.

If you want to seriously know things about Mars, our "brother" planet, you must have this book on your desk. This volume is totally indispensible for serious Mars students and is the distilled wisdom of the Mars Viking Missions, plus eveything else that went before.

Although new data is emerging about the Red planet, you cannot take it in isolation. The new data shows details within the framework of the old Viking-era Mars, which you must understand to be able to communicate with workers in the field.

Some new conceps and insights render parts of this volume dated, but it is dispassionate and unbiassed so the basic data and images are presented before too much interpretation is overlaid.

If you don't have this book, you aren't trying.

The only reason I gave this book 4-Star rather than 5-Star award is because it is written on a high technical/scientific level which renders it difficult for non-scientific readers. For scientists, it probably rates a Six!

As the editors state, it is the next best thing to the full list of scientific literature about Mars (the list of references they refer to is 95 pages long, or about 3,000 publications). The next best thing is just fine by me. The editors also state that it is at a level appropriate for graduate study (like myself), however it would also suit a keen enthusiast.

As a reference book it isn't riveting bed time reading but, as a reference book, it is top quality and for its intended readers it is excellent.

As a life member of the Mars Society and an amateur astronomer for over 40 years I've read dozens of Mars books.

Mars by H.H. Kieffer, B.M Jakosky, C.W. Snyder, and M.S. Matthews is a huge book, 1498 pages with some great pictures, illustrations and graphs. The authors have created the "bible" of Mars study with data from dozens of years dated back from 1992. Of course we have obtained new data since then. However almost all the books older data is still good and can be used.

I don't have to list all the different chapters. The book is huge and gives numerous topics.... see the "0pen the book and table of contents" on Amazon.

Every 26 months or so when Mars is closest to Earth I use my 20 inch telescope to view Mars. I always keep my Mars book ready for quick reference.I have used this book dozens of times to get interesting Mars facts or to cross reference other articles or books.

I especially liked the sections on "Ice In The Martian Regolith" starting on page 523, and "The Martian Impact Cratering Record" starting on page 383. But there is so much more....incredible. There are many interesting longer articles on certain aspects of Mars..good reading. Some of the articles may be tailored to a BS degree level or slightly more and may not be appropriate for the very beginner but other parts anyone with a Mars interest will enjoy. Plan to spend some time with this book, go slow to absorb it and enjoy.

This book will give you years of information for your Mars study. If you just have a casual Mars interest this book is probably not for you as its expensive and detailed. There are many great,less detailed books,...see my reviews. If however you have a keen interest of Mars and may develop a life long on/off interest/hobby about Mars this is the book for you. Absolutely the best Mars book for massive amounts of Mars information I have read.

Highly recommended 10 stars plus!