A breathtaking, intimate view of the heavenly bodies in our solar system.

In a unique grand tour, Dava Sobel tells the story of each member of our planetary family – touching on myth, history, astrology, science fiction and the very latest scientific data. Whether revealing what hisdes behind Venus’s cocoon of acid clouds, conjuring Neptune’s complex beauty, or capturing the excitement of the first pictures from Saturn’s moon Cassini to be beamed to earth, The planets is suffused with fascination and longing – and with prose, poetry and images throughout the centuries.

Review:

This is one of two books I picked up when I visited the National Maritime Museum recently (the other being Mapping Time: The Calendar and its History).

I found the book delightful, it gives an overview of the history of the solar system.  Dava gives each planet a personality of it’s own.  Mercury becomes mythology, Venus becomes beauty, Saturn becomes music of the spheres with each of the other planets having it’s own theme.  The changing style for each chapter makes the book easily accessible for everyone.

By including myths, facts and interesting asides the book gives a view of how people’s knowlege and perseption of the universe has changed over time as more information became available over time.

There is a comprehensive bibliography at the back of the book giving the reader opportunity for further reading.  There is also a ‘PS:’ section at the back of the book which gives further insights and interviews from the author.