A review by fourstringspark
American Eclipse: A Nation's Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the Glory of the World by David Baron

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.