The red planet, Mars, has inspired wild flights of imagination over the centuries, as well as intense scientific interest. Long ago, when only the moon and the stars lit up the night sky, fear and foreboding rose whenever a blood-red dot looped its way across an otherwise still sky. Mars, the Red Planet, was a familiar and yet suspicious omen, a symbol for war and aggression for thousands of years.
Even as science progressed and great thinkers studied the skies, Mars has remained in the human imagination. Discover our neighbor, Mars, in all its glory with these top books dealing with Mars, the Red Planet.
1. Postcards from Mars: The First Photographer on the Red Planet by Jim Bell
Dutton Books
Discover some amazing imagery from our neighbor, Mars. It's a photographic tour of the surface of the red Planet. Not until we are actually able to visit Mars in person will we be able to see these breathtaking scenes in a more realistic fashion. I keep this one handy for whenever I need a recharge.
2. Mars: The Nasa Mission Reports, Vol. 1 by Robert Godwin (Editor)
This is one of the most technically detailed books I've read on NASA Mars missions. The folks at Apogee generally do it right. I don't believe I've ever been disappointed in one of their volumes. Very informative, if a bit too technical for some readers.
3. The Rock from Mars: A Detective Story on Two Planets by Kathy Sawyer
Random House
From Publishers Weekly: "When geologist Robbie Score spied the little green rock lying on the bluish-white Antarctic landscape on a December day in 1984, she had no idea it would change her life, provoke fierce controversies among scientists around the world and challenge humankind's view of ourselves." Like any great detective story, this fascinating book about one of the most controversial meteorites ever discovered, this book will keep you turning the pages.
4. The Case for Mars by Robert Zubrin
Free Press
Dr. Robert Zubrin is the founder of the Mars Society and a proponent of manned exploration of the Red Planet. Very few people could have written such an authoratative book on visiting Mars. It puts forward his "Mars Direct plan, which Zubrin has submitted to NASA. This bold plan for a manned Mars mission has won the approval of many, both inside and outside of the agency.
5. Magnificent Mars by Ken Croswell
Free Press
Ken Croswell, the acclaimed author and astronomer behind "Magnificent Universe," sets his sights a little closer to home in this beautifully detailed exploration of the Red Planet. I'm in good company on this book as such notables as Sir Arthur C. Clarke, Dr. Owen Gingerich, Dr. Michael H. Carr, Dr. Robert Zubrin, and Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson have all given it highly favorable reviews.