The Space Book: From the Beginning to the End of Time, 250 Milestones in the History of Space & Astronomy by Jim Bell; Sterling Publishing Co. Inc; New York, New York; (hard cover) $29.95; May 2013.
This elegant, eye-catching book offers stunning photographs and illustrations that chronicle spacecraft exploits and astronomical observations. That’s the good news…and even better news is that the author is a top-notch writer fueled by his passion for exploration.
As Bell notes in his introduction, robot probes, giant telescopes on the ground and in space, have revealed up close the alien landscapes of all the classically known planets, as well as asteroids and comets – along with viewing the cosmos “in all its glory.”
Be it ancient observations, the Big Bang, birth of the Moon, Mars and its canals, to the Oort cloud, Japan’s Hayabusa at Itokawa and the demotion of Pluto – this potpourri of page-turning text spans c. 137 Billion BCE to the end of time.
The reader will find this a resource that keeps on giving as new data cascades back to Earth from planetary probes and as light-gathering scientists dive ever deeper into time and space.
Whether you’re a seasoned space aficionado or a general reader with eye and mind hungry to know more, Bell’s new book is a delight. Pick any page and you’ll find the awe that keeps humanity on a quest to discern more about the surrounding Universe.
Thanks also to Sterling Publishing for richly illustrating the book’s 528 pages – it’s a beauty.
Author Jim Bell is professor at Arizona State University’s School of Earth and Space Exploration in Tempe, AZ, and an adjunct professor in the Department of Astronomy at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. He’s also the author of such notable works as: Mars 3-D: A Rover’s-Eye View of the Red Planet and Moon 3-D: The Lunar Surface Comes to Life.
For more information on this book, go to:
http://www.sterlingpublishing.com/catalog?isbn=9781402780714
By Leonard David