Review by Choice Review
A large segment of the earth's population has never experienced the polar lights because, as the author of this informative book states so nicely, "... the aurora spends most of its time around the ends of the earth, where it dances mainly for the pleasure of penguins and bears." With the publication of this volume everyone can experience the aurora vicariously through the magnificent photographs and prose contained within, and can also learn about the history, mythology, and science of the polar lights. Savage, who has previously written eight books of natural history, carefully researched the material for the book. In addition to the regular text, a number of stand-alone sidebars are included on interesting topics such as finding predictions of auroral activity, an auroral dictionary, and Inuit space flight. The photographs are supplemented with reproductions of plates from older texts and other graphics. The book is oversized and looks like it belongs on the coffee table, but the scholarly content qualifies this outstanding volume for inclusion in all college libraries. Extensive chapter notes. Highly recommended. General; undergraduate; two-year technical program students. H. E. Wylen; formerly, National Science Foundation
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
This slim volume by a Canadian natural history writer is a history of our relationship with the aurora borealis, often called northern lights. Savage begins with how different ancient peoples interpreted the northern lights and then gives a scientific history of how we were able to learn about them. The story of our coming to understand the cause of the auroras could have been worthy of Stephen Jay Gould had the author kept going. For example, Tycho Brahe's copper-plated nose, Alexander Von Humboldt's love interest, and Michael Faraday's nervous breakdown are all mentioned parenthetically, leaving the reader wanting to know more. The text is supplemented with old illustrations, impressive photos of auroreal displays, and numerous sidebars on related topics. For larger science collections.-Gary Williams, Southeastern Ohio Regional Lib., Caldwell (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Choice Review
Review by Library Journal Review
