Book description
On two days in 1761 and 1769 hundreds of astronomers pointed their
telescopes towards the skies to observe a rare astronomical event: the
transit of Venus across the face of the sun.
United by this momentous occasion, scientists from around the globe
came together to answer the essential question: how can the universe
be measured? In Chasing Venus Andrea Wulf paints a vivid
portrait of the rivalries, triumphs and misfortunes that befell these
men, along with their passion and determination to succeed. This
extraordinary book tells their story and how one single event prompted
the first international scientific collaboration.
Andrea Wulf's story of the chase is an enthralling, nail-biting
thriller and will undoubtedly prove one of the non-fiction books of the
year. Even if you fail to see the Transit, don't miss this wonderful
book, -- John Harding Daily Mail A fine example of scientific
storytelling about astronomers of the Enlightenment observing the
transit of Venus. Publishers got hot for science writing when Longitude
by Dava Sobel took off unexpectedly as a long-term bestseller. Andrea
Wulf's story of how astronomers of the Enlightenment hoped to measure
the distance from the Earth to the Sun by observing the transit of Venus
internationally on June 6, 1761, and again on June 3, 1769, is another
fine example of such scientific storytelling. From the original
inspiration of Edmund Halley that led to the active co-operation of
Captain Cook, Benjamin Franklin and even Catherine the Great, the
enterprise is narrated with elegant expertise. -- Iain Finlayson The
Times Historian Andrea Wulf's Chasing Venus is beautifully paced,
alternating between expe-ditions, with lush descriptions of the often
arduous journeys involved. Nature Chasing Venus: The Race to Measure the
Heavens takes us first to the year 1761 and the phenomena that is a
transit of Venus. It charts the story of a truly international effort;
to not only observe the transit of 6 June 1761 and indeed its partner of
3 June 1769, but to present the real quest that was to finally determine
the distance between the Earth and the Sun. The author weaves parallel
stories involving the French and British expeditions, but makes sure
that other delegations from Sweden, Germany, Italy and Russia are given
a fair airing. Through this platform we meet the real characters. As
political leaders try to prevent bloodshed on battlefields and carnage
in capitals, the global scientific community, more appropriately
philosophers and astronomers, contemplate their task in the dawn of
enlightenment. [an] outstanding book! It's the book of the year so far -
do not miss it! Astronomy Now [a] truly excellent book. Andrea Wulf
tell[s] the rip-roaring tales of numerous expeditions that set off
around the globe to observe the Venusian transit of 1761.[She]
communicate[s] the verve and energy - not to mention the perilous nature
- of the expeditions. -- Marcus Chown New Scientist Andrea Wulf was
born in India and moved to Germany as a child. She trained as a design
historian at the Royal College of Art and is the author of
The
Brother Gardeners
(longlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize 2008 and winner of the
American Horticultural Society 2010 Book Award),
The Founding Gardeners
and the co-author (with Emma Gieben-Gamal) of
This Other Eden: Seven
Great Gardens and 300 Years of English History
. She has written for
The New York Times,
the
Guardian
, the
Wall Street Journal
, the
Los Angeles Times
and many others. She lives in London.
