
Moon
Nature and Culture
Edgar Williams(Author)
Reaktion Books (Publisher)
Published on 1. June 2014
Book
Paperback/Softback
200 pages
978-1-78023-281-2 (ISBN)
Description
Since humans first gazed upward, the moon has hung in the sky virtually unchanged, entrancing generations of poets, artists and scientists. Once worshipped as a deity, often thought to cause madness, now known to manipulate our tides and much else besides, humanity's relationship with the moon has been ever-changing; the one constant has been our continued fascination with it. Moon gives a comprehensive account of our lunar companion's significance, tracing its origins out of a collision with Earth and following its rich cultural resonance in the worlds of literature, art, religion and politics.
The moon's story is also humanity's own story: it gave humans the ability to organize time, dividing the year into months and ordaining the dates of festivals such as Easter, Ramadan and the Chinese New Year. Its moderating effect on the earth's spin could mean that without the moon life may never have been able to evolve. Edgar Williams shows how the interdependence of moon and Earth also finds its unwitting parallel in the realm of culture, where the moon has constantly found it itself embedded in our preoccupations, whether in the worship of Elizabeth I as Diana, moon goddess, or in the long-lived dream that humans will one day populate its surface.
Moon tells a succinct, witty and informative tale of everything lunar, filled with entertaining anecdotes about what the moon has meant to us. For sky-gazers everywhere, Moon is not to be missed.
The moon's story is also humanity's own story: it gave humans the ability to organize time, dividing the year into months and ordaining the dates of festivals such as Easter, Ramadan and the Chinese New Year. Its moderating effect on the earth's spin could mean that without the moon life may never have been able to evolve. Edgar Williams shows how the interdependence of moon and Earth also finds its unwitting parallel in the realm of culture, where the moon has constantly found it itself embedded in our preoccupations, whether in the worship of Elizabeth I as Diana, moon goddess, or in the long-lived dream that humans will one day populate its surface.
Moon tells a succinct, witty and informative tale of everything lunar, filled with entertaining anecdotes about what the moon has meant to us. For sky-gazers everywhere, Moon is not to be missed.
Reviews / Votes
Moon is well illustrated throughout . . . an enlightening and interesting account of the Moon and its continuing and expanding influence on mankind. * <i>Sky at Night Magazine</i> * an enjoyable narrative that is well illustrated by images captured by spacecraft, drawn by astronomers, artists and designers, and depicted in science fiction movies. * <i>Nature Geoscience</i> *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Illustrations
99 illustrations, 68 in colour
Dimensions
Height: 148 mm
Width: 210 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-78023-281-2 (9781780232812)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
06/2014
Reaktion Books
€18.99
Available for download
Person
Edgar Williams was Professor of Cardiopulmonary Science at the University of South Wales, conducting research in respiratory and cardiovascular physiology. He was the author of Moon: Nature and Culture (2014) in Reaktion's Earth series.