Lunar

A History of the Moon in Myths, Maps + Matter

Matthew Shindell, Dava Sobel

$100

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Thames & Hudson
01 November 2024

Mathematics & Sciences; Astronomy, space & time

A beautiful showcase of hand-drawn geological charts of the Moon, combined with a retelling of the symbolic and mythical associations of Earth's satellite.

President Kennedy's rousing 'We will go to the Moon' speech on 25 May 1961 set Project Apollo in

motion and spurred on scientists at the US Geological Survey in their efforts to carry out geologic mapping of the Moon. Over the next 11 years a team of 22 created 44 superb charts - one for each named quadrangle on the Earthside of the Moon.

In Lunar, for the first time, you can see every beautifully hand-drawn and coloured chart accompanied by expert analysis and interpretation by Smithsonian science curator Matthew Shindell. Long a source of wonder, fascination and symbolic significance, the Moon was crucial to prehistoric man in their creation of a calendar; it played a key role in ancient creator myths and astrology; and if has often been associated with madness. Every mythical and cultural association of the Moon throughout history is explored in this sumptuous volume, culminating in the 1969 Moon landing, which heralded the beginning of a whole new scientific journey.

Foreword by: Dava Sobel
Consultant editor: Matthew Shindell
Imprint: Thames & Hudson
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 365mm, Width: 265mm,
ISBN: 9780500027141
ISBN 10: 0500027145
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 01 November 2024
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Matthew Shindell is a historian of science whose work focuses on the history of the Earth and planetary sciences, in particular on the development of these fields during the Cold War. He is the curator of Planetary Science at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and co-hosts the Museum's podcast, AirSpace. Shindell received a PhD in History of Science from the University of California, San Diego, and has taught at the University of Southern California and Harvard University. In addition to writing poetry, he is the author of The Life and Science of Harold C. Urey, co-author of Spaceships and Discerning Experts: The Practices of Scientific Assessment for Environmental Policy and co-editor of Smithsonian American Women. His latest book, For the Love of Mars, was published May 2023.