Fire in the Sky Comets and Meteors, the Decisive Centuries, in British Art and Science Roberta J. M. Olson Wheaton College Jay M. Pasachoff Williams College, Williamstown Price: AUD$65.95
Status 1 - 2 week delivery
Bindings: Paperback Date of Publication: 18/11/1999 Bibliographic Description: 1999 253 x 203 mm 383pp 135 half-tones 30 colour plates
Comets and meteors are spectacular and awe-inspiring natural phenomena, which are among nature´s most compelling icons. Britain in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries produced a larger number and greater variety of representations of comets and meteors than anywhere else. This beautifully illustrated book discusses why this was the case and examines the link between these works and the achievements of British science in the wake of Newton and Halley. It will be of interest both to astronomers and art historians, whether amateurs or professionals.
Contents Introduction; 1. Prelude: the beginning of telescopic astronomy and the background of British astronomy and artistic traditions; 2. The heavens on fire: the eighteenth century; 3. The comet-crazed century opens; 4. The triumph of realism; 5. Donati´s comet, the watershed; 6. The origin of comet (and meteor) photography; 7. The triumph of the imagination; 8. Comets and the new century; Epilogue: comets and the new millennium; Appendices; List of illustrations; Bibliography; Index.
Key Features
Topic of widespread and current interest, especially following Hale-Bopp; comets link us to the origins of the solar system
Beautifully illustrated: over 100 illustrations, two colour sections
Unique book, no other book considers the subject matter
`... an intriguing book ... it is beautifully and profusely illustrated ... As a text, this book is not only eminently readable, erudite and full of insight, but also skilfully weaves together the conversion of comets from mere celestial wanderers to objects of considerable astrophysical interest, the development of the public´s interest in comets, and the advances in art as painting '
