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 | Why the Sky Is Blue: |
ADDITIONAL REVIEWS: "Sure we all know it's blue, and most of us know why. Or, at least we think we know why. This book shows that our sky comes in as many shades of blue as a painter has in their palette. But each shade has a natural explanation, hence the size and value of this enlightening book. Hoeppe's book works through humanity's understanding of the phenomenon of the blue sky by advancing chronologically....[The] attention to detail, the thoroughness of his review and the vibrant style of writing (even though a translation) make this book worthwhile reading."--Mark Mortimer, Universe Today "This wonderful, discursive book begins with a child's common question and proceeds to provide and interdisciplinary answer with historical perspective and insight...[Hoeppe] enhances the very perception of both the immediate and farthest reaches of the universe."--N. Sadanand, Choice "Why the Sky Is Blue is popular science at its best. In fact, it is considerably more than that: in ten chapters, an epilogue, several appendices, notes, and a bibliography of further reading, the book provides a broad overview since classical antiquity of how scholars have grappled with explanations for the intriguing blue color of the sky above us all. As it turns out, the simple question, why the sky is blue, requires a veritable tour de force through western cultural history and the history of science for a complete and satisfactory answer."--Hans J. Rindisbacher, European Legacy "The subject of this book is interesting enough in its own right, but equally importantly, it is an informative case study of the ways that human thinking has progressed in our attempts to understand the world in which we live."--David Kay, Cosmos Magazine ENDORSEMENTS: "This delightful combination of science and history should be required reading for poets, pilots, artists, weather watchers, and anyone who ever marveled at the manifest colors of the sky or wondered why it is only sometimes 'blue.'"--James Rodger Fleming, Colby College "An absorbing study of historical approaches to the everyday fact of the blue sky above us, Götz Hoeppe's Why the Sky is Blue is full of revelations. The story it tells of the sky's appearance as an issue of speculation and investigation will appeal both to the specialist and the general reader."--Eileen Reeves, author of Painting the Heavens: Art and Science in the Age of Galileo Praise for the original German edition: "In this richly illustrated volume, the author describes and explains the color and appearance of the firmament, from earlier times to the current day. It is an exciting excursion from mythology, art, and philosophy up through modern science."--Die Welt Praise for the original German edition: "This is a multilayered book that makes a seemingly commonplace observation the starting point of an exciting journey of discovery . . . The color of the sky proves to be the key to understanding many of our cultural achievements in science, art and everyday life."--NDR 1's Bücherwelt Praise for the original German edition: "Hoeppe has succeeded in something completely special: the book combines the research of the natural sciences with philosophical and cultural reflections-all elegantly expressed."--Saarländischer Rundfunk File created: 8/21/2008 | |
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