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Observing the Moon: The Modern Astronomer's Guide
by Gerald North. For readers of Leonardo there is little in this book relevant to the art/science theme. But I did find the black and white drawings of some features of the moon executed by several artist/illustrator/observers to be lovely; these drawings, which often accompany corresponding photographs of specific lunar features, brought to mind the delicate watercolor sketches of the moon by Galileo. Perhaps this book might stimulate some contemporary artists to use the "landscape" of the moon as a motif for their own work? While perusing this book I was reminded of other recent works about the moon. The Moon and the Western Imagination (1999) by Scott L. Montgomery, which I reviewed in LDR (Feb., 2000) and was reprinted in Leonardo 33 (2000), 333-334. Montgomery chronicles the moon since ancient times viewed from scientific, philosophical, literary, and artistic perspectives. The Heritage of Giotto's Geometry: Art and Science on the Eve of the Scientific Revolution (1991) by Samuel Y. Edgerton and Painting the Heavens: Art and Science in the Age of Galileo (1997) by Eileen Reeves contain historical material on the moon; the latter I reviewed in LDR (Jan., 1998), with an abridged version in Leonardo 31 (1998), 328. Another book, which I have not yet read, is Mapping and Naming the Moon: A History of Lunar Cartography and Nomenclature (Cambridge University Press, 1999) by Ewen A. Whitaker, a well-known scholar in the history of selenography. These books, along with North's Observing the Moon, display several contemporary approaches to the study of our closest celestial body. |
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