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welcome to
MagaVelda Press MagaVelda Press is a new
Publishing company, specialising in the History of Astronomy. We are pleased to announce, as our first title |
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The Transit
of Venus - The Quest to Find the True
Distance of the Sun by David Sellers ISBN 0954101308 224 pages - price |
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This unusual book tells the fascinating story of attempts to measure the distance of the Sun - from earliest times to the age of radar. The crucial role of the transit of Venus in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries is described in detail. The use of oppositions of Mars and close passages of asteroids is also covered. Woven into the story is
an explanation of each of the key pieces of evidence, which allows us to say
that we truly know the distance of the Sun. The famous 1716 essay of Edmond Halley, exhorting future astronomers to observe the 1761 and 1769 transits, is included as an appendix to the book. This is probably the first time for almost 200 years that the full English translation has appeared in print. The book is comprehensively illustrated, with 48 half-tones and 33 line drawings. Maps and tables showing the local circumstances of the forthcoming 2004 and 2012 transits of Venus are provided. Copies can be ordered now
through local bookstores, Amazon Books (Check it out!) and other (UK-based) on-line bookstores. |
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RECENT
REVIEWS New
Scientist (19 January 2002) - Prof David Hughes "David Sellers has
produced a thoroughly engaging and well illustrated tale of the hunt for the
accurate AU" Journal of the
British Astronomical Association (April
2002) - Bob Steele "This work has great
appeal in the depth of its story telling and in the general accuracy and
quality of the text .. It is the result of the author's research into many
primary historical sources and such credentials lift the book in sheer
quality and interest above other popular accounts of transits that I have
read lately." Federation of
Astronomical Societies Newsletter (Spring 2002) - Callum Potter "... an excellent
book, providing an interesting perspective on one aspect of astronomical
endeavour through the centuries. I would heartily recommend it." Journal of
Astronomical History and Heritage (June 2002) – Dr Wayne Orchiston “David Sellers has done
an excellent job … Sellers writes in an entertaining style , which makes this
book enjoyable reading … I found shades of Sobel’s Longitude in Sellers’ book. I hope it, too, will reach and be
appreciated by a wide lay audience, but can also recommend it for historians
of astronomy, especially those seeking an easy-going refresher course of
preparation for 2004 and 2012.” Astronomy
Now (August 2002) - Alan Drummond "... this is both a
timely and a well-written history. Recommended to anyone with an interest in
historical astronomy." School
Science Review (September 2002) – AD Ellison "I found this book a
fascinating read ... This book deserves a place in every sixth-form and FE
college library." The Observatory
(October 2002) – Dave Pike “The next two transits of
Venus are in 2004 and 2012 … Anyone having read this book beforehand will be
in a good position to enjoy the spectacle with the added benefit of being
able to ponder and appreciate their role in solving one of the most basic
astronomical questions.” Popular
Astronomy (October-December 2002) – David Graham "... a most engaging
narrative … The reviewer rarely gets the time to sit down and read a book
from cover to cover, but having embarked upon The Transit of Venus [I] was so absorbed as to be unable to put
it down." |
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