A Traveler's Guide To Mars 119
| A Traveler's Guide To Mars | |
| author | William K. Hartmann |
| pages | 445 |
| publisher | Workman Publishing |
| rating | 8 - Good book, some flaws notwithstanding. |
| reviewer | Tony Williams |
| ISBN | 0761126066 |
| summary | Good interesting guide to Mars |
With all the noise and kerfuffle about Mars recently I thought I should take a look at the Red Planet. I'm not well educated about astronomy, have to think hard to get the order of the planets right, but still wanted something with some depth. I found a great little guide for the uninformed visitor, "A Traveler's Guide to Mars" by William K Hartmann. This fairly inexpensive volume is full of all the information you're going to need, a large number of pictures, several maps and a great deal of information about previous voyagers to the planet. Indeed Hartmann was one of the scientists for the Mars Global Surveyor mission.
This book really does look like a typical traveler's guide with large print, bold headings, a good use of colour and text boxes. The style is light enough that when it gets scientific you don't notice too much. It is broken up into seven sections
- Introducing Mars: Past and Present.
- Noachian Mars: Exploring The Oldest Provinces
- Interlude: Landing on Mars
- Hesperian Mars: A Time of Transition
- Interlude: Rocks From Mars
- Amazonian Mars: The Red Planet Today
- Where Do We come From, Where Are We Going
The first section is a quick overview of the planet and a look at the history of Martian research. Section three looks at the various landings and what they discovered. Section five is a single chapter explaining the Martian meteors and what they might mean. Section seven is also small and looks at future Martian research. The other three sections look at the geography and geology of various parts of the Red Planet.
I found the whole book fascinating. I particularly liked the way Hartmann kept almost all his own tale in small sidebars called "My Martian Chronicles", 15 of them scattered through the book. These were interesting and meant that he could push his own barrow in a way that didn't intrude into the rest of the book, you could read them when you wanted. Throughout the book you get a huge amount of information about Mars and how the various bits were likely formed and what further exploration is likely to find.
All that said, it's not a book that can be taken in huge gulps. It took me several weeks to read it, picking it up and reading a few chapters then putting it down for a day or so, then perhaps another hour or two just looking at pictures, maps and reading sidebars. The layout does lend itself to this, however, so I'm not quite certain I'd call this a flaw, it seemed like a good way of making a 450 page book on Mars that much easier to digest. It also doesn't seem like a book that you need to read cover to cover, in order. I certainly didn't, reading bits about the meteors and landings and the last section before reading the section on Hesperian Mars.
The Workman Publishing web page on the book is not much use, with only a tiny excerpt from the book and while the book does have a selected reading list at the end it would have been nice to have a list of recommended web sites for further information as most of us don't have access to the sort of library likely to carry advanced astronomy journals or books.
If you're not an astronomy geek and want to know more about Mars then you may well find this book ideal. I certainly enjoyed my visit to the Red Planet.
You can purchase A Traveler's Guide To Mars from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
Who is Mar? (Score:1, Funny)
Or, for those who don't like reading... (Score:1, Funny)
...you can try to keep abreast with a copy of Total Recall.
(ba dum ching)
What (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Who is Mar? (Score:0, Funny)
Hmm (Score:2, Funny)
Hotels? Restaurants? Nightlife? (Score:2, Funny)
Also, is it accurate to say the Mars Needs Guitars?
Article Text in case of Slashdotting (Score:-1, Funny)
This book really does look like a typical traveler's guide with large print, bold headings, a good use of colour and text boxes. The style is light enough that when it gets scientific you don't notice too much. It is broken up into seven sections
Introducing Mars: Past and Present.
Noachian Mars: Exploring The Oldest Provinces
Interlude: Landing on Mars
Hesperian Mars: A Time of Transition
Interlude: Rocks From Mars
Amazonian Mars: The Red Planet Today
Where Do We come From, Where Are We Going
The first section is a quick overview of the planet and a look at the history of Martian research. Section three looks at the various landings and what they discovered. Section five is a single chapter explaining the Martian meteors and what they might mean. Section seven is also small and looks at future Martian research. The other three sections look at the geography and geology of various parts of the Red Planet.
I found the whole book fascinating. I particularly liked the way Hartmann kept almost all his own tale in small sidebars called "My Martian Chronicles", 15 of them scattered through the book. These were interesting and meant that he could push his own barrow in a way that didn't intrude into the rest of the book, you could read them when you wanted. Throughout the book you get a huge amount of information about Mars and how the various bits were likely formed and what further exploration is likely to find.
All that said, it's not a book that can be taken in huge gulps. It took me several weeks to read it, picking it up and reading a few chapters then putting it down for a day or so, then perhaps another hour or two just looking at pictures, maps and reading sidebars. The layout does lend itself to this, however, so I'm not quite certain I'd call this a flaw, it seemed like a good way of making a 450 page book on Mars that much easier to digest. It also doesn't seem like a book that you need to read cover to cover, in order. I certainly didn't, reading bits about the meteors and landings and the last section before reading the section on Hesperian Mars.
The Workman Publishing web page on the book is not much use, with only a tiny excerpt from the book and while the book does have a selected reading list at the end it would have been nice to have a list of recommended web sites for further information as most of us don't have access to the sort of library likely to carry advanced astronomy journals or books.
If you're not an astronomy geek and want to know more about Mars then you may well find this book ideal. I certainly enjoyed my visit to the Red Planet.
At least... (Score:5, Funny)
Mostly harmless.
Re:Hotels? Restaurants? Nightlife? (Score:0, Funny)
Re:Hotels? Restaurants? Nightlife? (Score:3, Funny)
-------------------
'Cause the man from Mars won't eat up bars where the T.V's on.
And now he's gone back up to space where he won't have a hassle with the
human race
And you hip hop.
And you don't stop
Just blast off, sure shot
'Cause the man from Mars stopped eating cars
And eating bars
And now he only eats guitars
Get up!
------------------
I guess so.
DG
One small problem (Score:4, Funny)
Re:one question. (Score:2, Funny)
A typical traveler's guide (Score:3, Funny)
Does it have any good ideas on how to get there and back?
Re:What (Score:5, Funny)
I told my travel agent that I wasn't much into water sports, but that I did like to spend hours just walking the beach.
She told me she had just the place, miles and miles of beach with unique red sand.
She didn't tell me there was no frickin' water. Oh, a little frost line on the ground maybe, but that's it. I don't think that counts. I may not swim or surf, but I do think the beach is kinda defined by the water.
Next year I'm going back to the Jersey Shore.
KFG
A better choice (Score:4, Funny)
I mean seriously, there are a lot more interesting places to visit in the galaxy than Mars. There's no reason why I should want a book telling me all about going there and paying to see the sights, when I can get a guide that tells me how to get around the whole galaxy for free!
Amazons - Chapter 6 (Score:4, Funny)
The title of Ch. 6, "Amazonian Mars: The Red Planet Today", totally sold the book for me. Who are these Martian Amazons, and where did they come from?
I can't think of anything more arousing than the thought of lonely Martian/Amazon girls who have grown to heights of 7-8 feet in the lower gravity environment, and who could snap me in half like a twig.
Re:A typical traveler's guide (Score:5, Funny)
My own mini Traveler's Guide to Mars (Score:5, Funny)
1) How to get there (and back).
Answer: A rocket. Reallllly big. Lots of fuel, lots of food and water. DON'T forget the zero-g toilet and about a zillion barf bags. It's a bumpy ride, so take some seat cushions for the ascents and descents. Also take some sunglasses and SPF-1000000 sunblock.
2) Money.
Answer: You'll want to exchange currency at Mars Customs, located on Deimos. Avoid Phobos altogether - it's just a tourist trap. Martians have but 3 fingers on their 'hands' (okay, tentacles), so their math is a little funky. I'd advise taking a calculator for doing conversions both into their currency, and their math. Prices on Mars are generally reasonable, but you don't want to pay too much! Shop around. Oh yeah, bring a moneybelt. The natives are lightfingered little bastards, not that I'd want to generalize. Some of my best friends are Martians. Honest.
3) The weather.
Answer: Enroute is normal, unless you have a breach in the spacecraft. If that happens, it won't matter what you packed. On Mars itself, the air is somewhat thin, so pack a pressure suit. It's also somewhat chilly, so layer! Bring plenty of oxygen. It doesn't rain, so no umbrella is needed, but you may experience something the "Red Planet" is famous for: a sandstorm. Trust me on this - just stay in the spaceship during one. If caught outside, determine which way the sand is blowing, then get in the shadow of a rockface. Leave your galoshes at home.
4) The sights.
Answer: Lots of rocks and dirt. Some sand and dust, as well, plus two moons in the sky and a bright dot for the Sun. Don't miss the 'Face' on Mars. Inside is a typical Martian funhouse, full of those funny distorting mirrors. Those are a blast. A side-trip to the North Pole is full of frozen fun, but make sure to take a native guide to get the most out of your time.
5) The food.
Answer: Kind of bland, but worth the experience. Dried Martian dust-mite on a bed of Martian cabbage is the classic dish. Get used to dust on everything. It is safe to drink the water on Mars (Yes, it's there, but expensive!), as non-native microbes can't effect the Human body.
6) The natives.
Answer: As seen on TV! Little green guys with big eyes, and three tentacles per 'hand'. They used to be big on invading other planets back in the 50s and 30s, but they've mellowed out a lot since Perestroika.
7) The nightlife.
Answer: They like to boogie. Martian-tossing is the latest fad you'll find in all the nightclubs. They're real big on karaoke, as well, and classic Earth cinema is all the rage. "Santa Claus vs the Martians" is still #1 at the box office.
8) The beer.
Answer: They import it from Canada. Labatt Red is the drink of choice.
Don't forget to buy souvenirs for all your friends!
Re:A typical traveler's guide (Score:2, Funny)