About this title: Dava Sobel, the author of GALILEO'S DAUGHTER and LONGITUDE, steers readers through the solar system in a series of lyrical essays, one for each planet, the sun, and our own moon. Sobel ornaments the facts about the celestial bodies with additional bits of history, geography, astrology, mythology, and personal reminiscences. In this way, she ...
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Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Fourth Estate Ltd
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9781857028508ISBN:1857028503
Description: Very Good. Dust jacket slightly damaged/creased. EXCELLENT value for money and ready for dispatch. Delivery usually within 3/5 days. Our reputation is built on our Speedy Delivery Service and our Customer Service Team. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Fourth Estate
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9781857028508ISBN:1857028503
Description: Good. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Fourth Estate Ltd
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9781857028508ISBN:1857028503
Description: Good. This is an EX-LIBRARY COPY. We only offer carefully selected, quality books, in this category. The normal stamps and labels may be present and the front flysheet has been tidily removed. The supplying library will benefit financially from your purchase. This book is in GOOD overall condition. It shows signs of having been read and has general light wear to the cover, spine and pages. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: HarperPerennial
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9781841156217ISBN:1841156213
Description: Good. This book is in GOOD overall condition. It shows signs of having been read and has general light wear to the cover, spine and pages. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: HarperPerennial
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9781841156217ISBN:1841156213
Description: Good. This is an EX-LIBRARY COPY. We only offer carefully selected, quality books, in this category. The normal stamps and labels may be present and the front flysheet has been tidily removed. The supplying library will benefit financially from your purchase. This book is in GOOD overall condition. It shows signs of having been read and has general light wear to the cover, spine and pages. read more
Edition: Paperback Edition, First Printing
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Harper Perennial, London
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9781841156217ISBN:1841156213
Description: Lynette R. Cooks (cover) Very Good+ Paperback. 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall. A very clean and sound lightly used copy. 267pp. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: HarperPerennial
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9781841156217ISBN:1841156213
Description: Good. Our aim is to create value for our customers through the provision of low cost, affordable products and an overall satisfying buying experience. read more
Binding: Paper Back
Publisher: Fourth Estate, London
Date Published: 2005
Description: Very Good. Uncorrected Proof Copy This is an Uncorrected Proof Copy. Paperback. Clean and unread with signs of minimal shelf wear. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: FOURTH ESTATE LTD
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9781857028508ISBN:1857028503
Description: Published by Fourth Estate Ltd in 2005. Hardback with Dust jacket. Number of pages: 288. Condition: Good. Used book but in Good Condition for sensible price. Shipped from UK. Delivery is usually 2-3 working days from order by Royal Mail, International Delivery is by Airmail. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: FOURTH ESTATE
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9781857028508ISBN:1857028503
Description: Published by Fourth Estate in 2005. Hardcover. Number of pages: 288. Condition: Very Good. May show some slight signs of wear. #8270493 Shipped from UK. Delivery is usually 2-3 working days from order by Royal Mail, International Delivery is by Airmail. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: FOURTH ESTATE LTD
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9781857028508ISBN:1857028503
Description: Ex-Library Published by Fourth Estate Ltd in 2005. Binding: Hardback with Dust jacket. Number of pages: 288. Ex. Library copy-usual stamps and marks. Condition: Good. Used book but in Good Condition for sensible price. #8514417 Shipped from UK. Delivery is usually 2-3 working days from order by Royal Mail, International Delivery is by Airmail. read more
"Although her language is a bit overblown at times, I still greatly enjoyed Dava Sobel's The Planets, a lay man's guide to the solar system.
According to the jacket cover, much of Sobel's work is dedicated to making astronomy interesting for the common person. I think she does a very good job at this. Her book was easy to read without being dumbed-down. Even rather complex concepts were explained in a way that makes quick sense.
I learned a lot from this book. I felt excited whenever I was reading it, and often found myself stopping to think about the universe in ways that I never had before. I would now like to read more astronomy books - if I can find other authors who are as readable as Sobel!
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who has an even passing fancy to know more about the worlds that make up our solar system."
... synonomous with "planets" and rather descriptive of Dava Sobel's little book of the same name, The Planets.
The book is organized as a set of independent short essays, one for each planet plus the Sun and Moon. Describing the planets as "an assortment of magic beans or precious gems," Sobel addresses these essays to cultural themes, not solar system science. The result is quite a departure from the compelling and coherent historical narratives of Sobel's recent best-sellers (Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time and Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love).
I recommend that you read the The Planets one chapter at a time, with plenty of breathing room. Each is a pleasant, New Yorker-style diversion. But as a book, the messages become jumbled and even contradictory. For instance, by the time you've absorbed the cultural ideosycracies of the other eight planets it's something of a shock in the essay titled "UFO" to hear Sobel side with the petty killjoys of the IAU who want to strip Pluto of its planethood."
"There is some good information here but the reading was somehow not really compelling. The writing had a feminine style that gave it a novel-like quality that would be appealing to some, but not me. This was like Danielle Steele giving a lecture on science."
"Reading this over the past two weeks has filled me with new electricity and excitement about the sky. Or rather, it's re-ignited a lot of my excitement about the cosmos. About the middle of my reading was the 4th of July, when apparently Jupiter and Neptune both are visible enough to see. And the same night four strange red lights hover high above us in the San Diego sky until sometime during the fireworks display. All these things and more now have a lot more weight now I've read this book and have at least an acquainted understanding of and now feel a compelling sense of worship for all these celestial bodies."
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