[meteorite-list] New book on meteorites, THE FALLEN SKY, publishes tomorrow! AD

From: Howell, Kevin <Kevin.Howell_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:18:56 -0400
Message-ID: <201CCF880B8AE7498CF97ECCF91C856B016C0317_at_USOLDTMS018.PGROOT.COM>

Thought you might be interested in a brand new book on the history of
meteorites is being published tomorrow: THE FALLEN SKY: AN INTIMATE
HISTORY OF SHOOTING STARS by Christopher Cokinos (Tarcher-Penguin Books,
$27.95).

Weaving natural history, memoir, and the stories of maverick scientists,
daring adventurers, and stargazing dreamers, this epic work travels from
Antarctica to outer space to tell the tale of how the study of
meteorites became a scientific passion.

Cokinos crisscrossed the globe from Greenland to the American Southwest,
from Australia to Antarctica, following in the footsteps of explorers,
collectors, and scientists, gaining access to their personal papers and
documents, to try to understand the obsession that draws so many people
to these fragments of iron and stone, these pieces of the universe that
we can hold in our hands.

This is an adventure story, a compelling work of first-person literary
journalism, and a scientific history, all told through the lives of its
remarkable characters-the eccentrics and geniuses who have committed
themselves to understanding the stuff of life and death that comes from
the sky.

It's already gotten some great reviews:

"I've always wanted to read a first-class book about meteorites. Chris
Cokinos has finally written that book. It's a shooting star, and I
stayed up late reading it."
-Richard Rhodes, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Making of the
Atomic Bomb and Dark Sun: The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb

"Christopher Cokinos goes from pole to pole in his search for the bits
of cosmos that fall onto the Earth, and the remarkable people who
collect and study them. He is a natural philosopher and gifted writer
who sprinkles his own kind of stardust on every page. If you have ever
wished upon a falling star, this is your chance to know just what is
falling, where it comes from, what it tells us about our place in the
universe-and what things in life are worth wishing for."
-Chet Raymo, former Boston Globe science columnist and bestselling
author of The Dork of Cork and Walking Zero

"I always attempt to infuse my words with the passion and wonder that I
experience in my work with space rocks. Christopher Cokinos succeeds
better than I have in this lofty ambition. The Fallen Sky is a lyrical
and beautifully written book; an intriguing, inspiring and unique work;
and one that I will ponder, re-read, and enjoy for light years to come."
--The Tucson Citizen

"Who knew fragments of metal could be so moving or lodge so deeply in
the soul?"
--Jonathan Rosen

On July 30, it will be available in all bookstores and on Amazon.com
(http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Sky-Intimate-History-Shooting/dp/158542720
9/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1).

--Kevin Howell
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Received on Wed 29 Jul 2009 12:18:56 PM PDT