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A review by dajna
Chasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens by Andrea Wulf
4.0
Too short!
Well, I understand that a chronicle is a chronicle and a good essayist is not going to novelize the facts, but I wish I could read more about these scientists who fought against the elements to measure the universe. For the first time in history the scientific community connected all over the world, oblivious of wars and grudges between nations. They managed to build up a competition made of the finest instruments and calculations instead of firearms and claiming of distant lands. They persuaded kings and queens to open their wallets and sponsor expeditions all over the world, adding anthropologists, botanists, geologists etc to the leading astronomers. Even when they failed to see Venus they come home with new knowledge to share with the world. They fell into icing waters and slept with Polynesian women, they met pirates and were accused of doing bad magic, few of them even died in pursuing the passage of Venus. But they never gave up.
Reading about them it's been a travel for me as well, a very good one. After this, Andea Wulf is definitely one of my favourite author.
Well, I understand that a chronicle is a chronicle and a good essayist is not going to novelize the facts, but I wish I could read more about these scientists who fought against the elements to measure the universe. For the first time in history the scientific community connected all over the world, oblivious of wars and grudges between nations. They managed to build up a competition made of the finest instruments and calculations instead of firearms and claiming of distant lands. They persuaded kings and queens to open their wallets and sponsor expeditions all over the world, adding anthropologists, botanists, geologists etc to the leading astronomers. Even when they failed to see Venus they come home with new knowledge to share with the world. They fell into icing waters and slept with Polynesian women, they met pirates and were accused of doing bad magic, few of them even died in pursuing the passage of Venus. But they never gave up.
Reading about them it's been a travel for me as well, a very good one. After this, Andea Wulf is definitely one of my favourite author.