American Eclipse (book) explained
| American Eclipse |
| Author: | David Baron |
| Subject: | American history, history of science |
| Publisher: | 2017 (Liveright) |
| Pages: | 349 |
| Isbn: | 978-1-63149-016-3 |
American Eclipse: A Nation's Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the Glory of the World is a non-fiction book by journalist David Baron, published by Liveright in 2017, about the popular impression of the 1878 solar eclipse as observed across the United States. It won the American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award in 2018.[1]
Background
Baron was inspired to write the book after viewing his first total solar eclipse in Aruba in 1998. He decided that he would publish it in 2017 in order to coincide with the solar eclipse of August 21, 2017.[2]
Synopsis
American Eclipse follows three scientists, James Craig Watson, Maria Mitchell, and Thomas Edison as they traveled to view the total solar eclipse on July 29, 1878.
Reception
Kirkus Reviews described American Eclipse as a "compelling... timely, energetic combination of social and scientific history."[3] Graham Ambrose, writing for The Denver Post, lauded Baron's social history of a scientific topic and that Baron "successfully swerves from the dry, impenetrable prose of science writing, grasping instead at something poetic, often funny."[4]
Publication
American Eclipse was released in hardcover in June 2017, paperback in 2018, and rereleased with a new afterword in 2024, to coincide with the solar eclipse of April 8, 2024.[5] The book was also adapted into a musical in and premiered at Baylor University on April 7, 2024.
Further reading
- Web site: Carson . Jennifer . An 1878 eclipse offered American scientists the chance to prove their scientific chops. Did they deliver? . . July 10, 2017 . 21 August 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170817211026/http://blogs.sciencemag.org/books/2017/07/10/an-1878-eclipse-offered-american-scientists-the-chance-to-prove-their-scientific-chops-did-they-deliver/ . August 17, 2017 . dead .
- Web site: Corrigan . Maureen . Searching for a Summer Escape? These 6 Books Will Carry You Away . . May 24, 2017 . 21 August 2017 .
- News: de León . Concepción . Missing the Eclipse? Read All About It . . August 4, 2017 . 0362-4331 .
- News: Dotinga . Randy . 'American Eclipse' writer David Baron: 'A total eclipse for me is a spiritual experience' . . August 14, 2017 . 0882-7729 .
- Web site: Hirschbiel . Cate . Discovering the Historical, Cultural and Inspirational Impacts of a Solar Eclipse . . March 9, 2017 . 21 August 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170821084507/http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/2017/03/lj-in-print/discovering-the-historical-cultural-and-inspirational-impacts-of-a-solar-eclipse/ . August 21, 2017 . dead .
- Web site: Potenza . Alessandra . An eclipse chaser explains why the rare celestial event shouldn't be missed . . August 11, 2017 . 21 August 2017 .
- Web site: Rev. of American Eclipse . . April 17, 2017 . 21 August 2017 .
- Web site: Strickland . Ashley . Why eclipses have inspired terror and awe . . August 20, 2017 . 21 August 2017 .
Notes and References
- Web site: 23 October 2018 . Winners of 2018 AIP Science Writing Awards Announced . 13 June 2024 . American Institute of Physics.
- Web site: 2024-04-04 . David Baron on What Literature Tells Us About the 2024 Eclipse . 2024-06-13 . . en-US.
- Web site: April 4, 2017 . American Eclipse . Kirkus Reviews.
- News: Ambrose . Graham . 19 July 2017 . Book Review: The eclipse that made America great . 13 June 2024 . The Denver Post.
- Web site: David Baron—American Eclipse: A Nation's Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the Glory of the World (Revised Edition) . 13 June 2024 . National Association of Science Writers.
