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<br> Excellent. . . . Chasing Venus is beautifully paced, alternating between expeditions, with lush descriptions of the often arduous journeys involved. <br> --Owen Gingerich, Nature <br> Outstanding. . . . It's the book of the year so far--do not miss it! <br> --Ian Welland, Astronomy Now <br> Andrea Wulf has now chronicled the 18th-century transit expeditions in a narrative light on astronomical detail but rich in personalities and adventures. The race was the 1760s version of reality TV -- a cross between Amazing Race and Survivor. People waited to see which astronomers would make it and which wouldn't, and to learn whether all the time and money was worth it. Wulf doesn't entirely resolve that question, but she does wonderfully sketch the race for scientific, and patriotic, glory. <br> --Alexandra Witze, Dallas Morning News <br> Another fine example of such scientific storytelling. . . . Narrated with elegant expertise. <br> --Iain Finlayson, The Times (London) <br> The 18th century stargazers whom Andrea Wulf describes . . . would put Indiana Jones to shame. . . . Here is a book both astrophysicists and poets can enjoy. <br> --Matthew Price, The Boston Globe <br> Chasing Venus is [a] thrilling adventure story. . . . Wulf's marvelous eye for detail and talent for simplifying complex science make the book, timed for release a month before the last transit of this century, well worth reading before June. <br> --Ann Levin, The Denver Post <br> [An] enthusiastic account. . . . With the next transit predicted for June 6, 2012, Wulf's well-handled history arrives in a timely manner. <br> -- Booklist <br> [Wulf] clearly explains how Venus' transit across the sun, which occurs every 105 years (and each time does so twice, at eight-year intervals--one will occur in June 2012), gave Enlightenment astronomers a chance to figure out such things as the distance between the earth and the sun. . . . Enlightening Enlightenment

[A] thrilling adventure story. . . . Wulf s marvelous eye for detail and talent for simplifying complex science make the book . . . well worth reading. <i>San Francisco Chronicle</i> <i>Chasing Venus </i>captures the spirit of adventure and the wonder at mankind s newfound ability to understand the world around it. . . . A pleasure to read from beginning to end. <i>Sky at Night Magazine</i> Here is a book both astrophysicists and poets can understand. <i>The Boston Globe</i> Andrea Wulf s story of the chase is an enthralling, nail-biting thriller and will undoubtedly prove one of the nonfiction books of the year. . . . Don t miss this wonderful book. <i>Daily Mail</i> A narrative . . . rich in personalities and adventures. . . . . [Wulf] wonderfully sketch[es] the race for scientific, and patriotic, glory. <i>Dallas Morning News Excellent. . . . <i>Chasing Venus</i> is beautifully paced, alternating between expeditions, with lush descriptions of the often arduous journeys involved. Owen Gingerich, <i>Nature Wulf s entertaining book is a fine tribute to that admirable human trait of scientific curiosity.. . . An inspiring story. <i>The Dispatch</i> (Columbus, MS) [An] enticing tale. . . . [Wulf s] feeling for personality and her attention to both the scientific records and to the astronomers journals brings their exploits to life as both scientific exploration and adventurous derring-do. <i>The Washington Times Another fine example of such scientific storytelling. . . . Narrated with elegant expertise. <i>The Times</i> (London) A human story, and . . .a rallying call to humanity s quest to explore the universe simply for the sake of it. <i>The Daily Telegraph </i>(London) Magisterial. . . Andrea Wulf traces the dramatic transformation of Venus from object of mythological awe to instrument of scientific revelation. <i>The Guardian</i> (London) Thrilling. . . . Wulf's account is an absorbing, . . . exciting yarn. <i>The Independent</i> (London) [An] excellent book. . . . <i>Chasing Venus </i>chronicles a rare planetary event that happened at a rare juncture in human history, when the age of empire, the age of science, and the age of curiosity brought the world together for just a few moments to achieve the measure of the universe. <i>Brain Pickings Outstanding. . . . It s the book of the year so far do not miss it! <i>Astronomy Now Writing in a clean and precise style reminiscent of Dava Sobel s <i>Navigation</i> and Holly Tucker s <i>Blood Work</i>, Wulf nonetheless develops a narrative pace more typical of a globe-trotting thriller than a history book. . . . The history of science at its most fascinating and most adventurous. <i>Chapter 16 [A] lively narrative. . . . Enlightening Enlightenment fare. <i>Kirkus Reviews</i> (starred review) [An] enthusiastic account. . . [and] well-handled history. <i>Booklist Replete with meticulous detail, delightful illustrations and a cast of very familiar names from world history, <i>Chasing Venus</i> is an eminently readable account of humanity s effort to chart the heavens. At once an exhilarating adventure, a tale of personal obsession, a tragedy and a detailed history of astronomical endeavour, Wulf s latest work is a fascinating read. <i>Press Association</i> (UK)</p>

Author Information

ANDREA WULF was born in India and moved to Germany as a child. She lives in London, where she trained as a design historian at the Royal College of Art. She is the author of The Brother Gardeners, long-listed for the Samuel Johnson Prize in 2008 and winner of the American Horticultural Society 2010 Book Award, and of Founding Gardeners; she is also the coauthor (with Emma Gieben-Gamal) of This Other Eden: Seven Great Gardens and 300 Years of English History. She has written for The Sunday Times, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Los Angeles Times, and she reviews for several newspapers, including The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Times Literary Supplement.

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