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The Martians: The True Story of an Alien Craze that Captured Turn-of-the-Century America
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About This Book
"There Is Life on the Planet Mars" —New York Times, December 9, 1906 The Times headline was no joke. In the early 1900s, many Americans actually believed that we had discovered intelligent life on Mars. The Martians—a truly bizarre tale reconstructed through newly discovered clippings, letters, and photographs by bestselling science writer David Baron—begins in the 1890s with Percival Lowell, a wealthy Harvard scion who was so certain of his Mars discovery that he (almost) convinced a generation of astronomers that grainy telescopic photographs of the red planet revealed meltwater and an intricate canal system, declaring "there can be no doubt that living beings inhabit our neighboring world" (New York Times). So frenzied was the reaction that international controversies arose. Tesla announced he had received Martian radio signals. Biologists debated whether Martians were winged or gilled. Martians headlined Broadway shows, and a new genre called science fiction arose. While Lowell's claims were savagely debunked, his influence sparked a compulsive interest in Mars and life in outer space that continues to this day.
Reviews
"For the most part, though, his book is a compelling chronicle of a man whose legacy as an astronomer is tarnished by wishful thinking ..."
"It's an enthrallingly bizarre and surprisingly poignant account of humankind's limitless willingness to believe."
"Baron is a terrific storyteller, and he has a sensational story to tell, replete with a host of memorable characters (and more than a few romances)."
"Until we learn more from future missions, his highly enjoyable book makes a strong case for the proposition that brainy Martians exist only in the imagination of Earthlings."
"Baron personally visited historic sites connected to Mars coverage, providing a present-day connection to past enthusiasm."
"Baron captures the milieu spanning the ends of the Victorian and Edwardian eras without jeering at their lack of modern sensibilities."
"Baron skillfully builds tension around the house of cards Lowell creates."
"Deeply researched and witty ..."
"But serious questions, still relevant, undergird the folly."
"Are there Martians out there?"
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