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black ½ cloth hardbound 4to ~ 4º (quarto). large book, international or priority shipping will cost extra. dustwrapper in protective plastic book jacket cover. fine cond. binding square & tight. covers clean. tiny ding bottom of front cover. edges clean. contents free of all markings. dustwrapper in fine cond. not worn or torn or price clipped. except for the ding, new condition. nice clean copy. no library markings, store stamps, stickers, bookplates, no names, inking , underlining, remainder markings etc ~ first edition so stated(Pu1997). first printing ( # 1 in # line). photo illustrated endpapers (orbital distance mars photos). color illustrated ½ title, frontis. & title pg. ix+228p. glossy pages throughout. almost every page illustrated, mostly in glossy full color with some full page color plates. astronomy. religion. ancient history. mythology. ancient literature. psychology. theology. philosophy. astrology. NASA. interstellar travel. science fiction. hollywood movies. art history. archaeology. history of astronomy. history of telescopes. biography. ~ In the summer of 1996, the question of life beyond the reaches of Earth was suddenly cast into a new dimension by the report of fossilized organic structures found in a Martian meteor. Later that summer and fall, as NASA launched the Mars Pathfinder and Surveyor missions, mankind's interest had once again fixed itself on the Red Planet. Named for the Roman god of war, Mars has beguiled earthlings since time immemorial with its ominous red hue and its peculiar motion across the night sky. It has been noted in the records of Babylonian, Chinese, and Mayan stargazers, and it has figured prominently in ancient mythology. With the invention of the telescope by Galileo, the science of astronomy developed. As knowledge of the planet grew, Mars appeared to bear a strange kinship to Earth. Early on, Mars was seen to have a twenty~four~hour day and the appearance of atmosphere, and it was speculated that it harbored intelligent life. Later it was observed to have two moons, a polar cap, and a curious array of features ~ the notorious canals, described by Giovanni Schiaparelli in 1877. Over the centuries the planet Mars lodged itself in the human imagination as a locus of hope, fascination, and fear. H. G. Wells's novel War of the Worlds (1898) played on those fears and ushered in the golden age of science fiction. The novel was dramatized with stunning consequences by Orson Welles in 1937, and Mars became the preeminent destination of science fiction writers and movie makers, with the planet figuring in many masterpieces of the genre, including Stranqer in a Stranqe Land and The Martian Chronicles, and the works of Philip K. Dick. Destination Mars examines how earthlings have perceived the planet throughout human history ~ in mythology, religion, astrology, folklore, early scientific history, science fiction, and the modern era of scientific discovery and space travel. Special attention is given to NASA's exploration of Mars, including the Mariner and Viking missions of the 1960s and 1970s, as well as NASA's two missions currently on their way to Mars and due to arrive in July and September of 1997. Profusely illustrated, this is a stunning portrait of a planet that has proven to be of enduring fascination.
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