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alicecrow's review against another edition
I couldn’t finish this book fast enough and it returned to the library when I was about 20-30% in. Honestly, I wasn’t that interested in the lives of some of the scientists. The opening was great but it couldn’t keep my attention.
bailey_bea's review against another edition
3.0
"A total eclipse is a primal, transcendent experience. The shutting off of the sun does not bring utter darkness; it is more like falling through a trapdoor into a dimly lit, unrecognizable reality. The sky is not the sky of the earth-neither the star-filled dome of night nor the immersive blue of daylight, but an ashen ceiling of slate."
I grabbed this book after experiencing the magnificent total solar eclipse of August 2017. American Eclipse describes a young country recovering from a bloody war, coping with social change, and thirsting to be considered equal with Europe. Or that's at least how the book starts. Baron goes on to introduce a number of scientists, including James Craig Watson and Thomas Edison, and focuses on their lives before, during, and after the eclipse. So much so, it sometimes seems the book is just a compendium of small biographies and scientific rivalries.
While the actual information provided in American Eclipse is interesting, the book itself is quite tedious. I never really enjoyed reading it. In fact, I was ecstatic to find out that of its 330 pages, the book ends on page 238 (the latter half is used for notes, indices, and bibliographic information).
I grabbed this book after experiencing the magnificent total solar eclipse of August 2017. American Eclipse describes a young country recovering from a bloody war, coping with social change, and thirsting to be considered equal with Europe. Or that's at least how the book starts. Baron goes on to introduce a number of scientists, including James Craig Watson and Thomas Edison, and focuses on their lives before, during, and after the eclipse. So much so, it sometimes seems the book is just a compendium of small biographies and scientific rivalries.
While the actual information provided in American Eclipse is interesting, the book itself is quite tedious. I never really enjoyed reading it. In fact, I was ecstatic to find out that of its 330 pages, the book ends on page 238 (the latter half is used for notes, indices, and bibliographic information).
jenniferstringer's review against another edition
4.0
I had requested this book from the library to read in preparation for the big event in August. There were so many ahead of me that it didn't arrive until September. In hindsight I think that was a good thing - I could relate to the descriptions of shadow bands and crescent shadows under trees, Bailey beads and the rest on a visceral level. As someone who is seriously considering adding "becoming an umbraphile" -scientific word for an eclipse chaser, to my bucket list, it was interesting to read how things were done in an earlier time. This book tells the history of the scientific expeditions sent west to see the 1878 eclipse. Nearly, all of the science was wrong, yet they remained so convinced - probably a lesson in there somewhere about scientific hubris. Thomas Edison's tasimeter did not work and there is no planet Vulcan despite Watson's claim to have discovered it. And the sexism! Imagine the difference to human progress if half the country's brain power weren't shoved aside and/or condescended to, let alone outright barred from scientific community for fear it would somehow negatively effect women's true purpose - child bearing. I very much felt for Maria Mitchell - to be that brilliant and continually thwarted had to be beyond infuriating. Yet, she persisted her entire life. Still, without these people struggling to discover truth, we would not be where we are today. So, less about the truth of discovery and more abut the process. A worthwhile read for history and science lovers.
cdbarker's review against another edition
5.0
Engaging and Informative
In the wake of the total eclipse this past summer, this is a great read on the 1878 total eclipse that captured the imagination of the American scientific community, as told by the stories of some of the prominent Americans who chased it, like Vassar's Maria Mitchell, Michigan's James Craig Watson, and the Wizard of Menlo Park himself, Thomas Edison. Lots of good details and well researched make for an engaging narrative.
In the wake of the total eclipse this past summer, this is a great read on the 1878 total eclipse that captured the imagination of the American scientific community, as told by the stories of some of the prominent Americans who chased it, like Vassar's Maria Mitchell, Michigan's James Craig Watson, and the Wizard of Menlo Park himself, Thomas Edison. Lots of good details and well researched make for an engaging narrative.
fourstringspark's review against another edition
4.0
A surprisingly engaging book about the diverse individuals (including Thomas Edison) who traveled to Colorado and Wyoming to witness and study the 1878 total eclipse of the sun. Denver-based writer David Baron weaves together numerous sources to create a tales that's even somewhat suspenseful. He provides good historical background on a period that saw American scientific research coming into its own and provides colorful descriptions of the personalities that people his story, including publicity-hungry inventor Edison, and astronomer Maria Mitchell, the Vassar professor who challenged prevailing beliefs about women in the sciences. Of particular interest to me: the first paragraph of Chapter 16, which describes the visceral impact of a total eclipse better than anything I've ever read. It made me savor my memories of the last American Eclipse in 2017 and eagerly anticipate the next one in 2024.
letsreadmorebooks's review against another edition
4.0
although a bit tedious at times, i enjoyed this book. i loved learning about maria mitchell, and i loved reading about the drama among scientists and the messy process of scientific advancement. i could have done with more maria mitchell and less thomas edison, but overall a good read for anyone pumped about the upcoming eclipse.