Table of Contents

Part I First Period: 1636-1830.- Second Period: 1830-1877.- Third Period Martian Cycle 1877-1892.- Part II Dimensions of the Planet.- Rotation: Length of Day and Night.- Geography of Mars, or Aerography?- The Atmosphere of Mars: Martian Climates and Meteorology: Conditions of Life on Mars.- The Seasons of Mars.- Changes Actually Observed on the Surface of Mars.- The Canals, the Rivers, the Geometrical Reseau of the Continents and the Circulation of the Waters.- Summary of the Conditions For Life on the Surface of Mars.

About the Author

William Sheehan is an amateur astronomer (and professionally, a neuroscientist and psychiatrist specializing in neurodevelopment and brain imaging). He has written Planets and Perception (an Astronomical Society of the Pacific Book of the Year, 1988), The Planet Mars (a book-of-the-month club selection in 1996), and Mars: the lure of the red planet (with Stephen James O’Meara), among many other books. In 2004, Sheehan was awarded the Gold Medal of the Oriental Astronomical Society for his Mars studies; he was the first Caucasian to receive this prestigious award. He has for many years been a contributing editor of Sky & Telescope and is a research fellow of the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Reviews

“The book now reviewed is volume I of Flammarion’s classic. … The quality of reproduction is excellent, and both editor and publisher must be commended for their achievement. … I have no hesitation in recommending it wholeheartedly.” (Richard McKim, The Observatory, Vol. 135 (1249), December, 2015)“Flammarion, a noted French astronomer of the late 19th century, wrote this seminal review of the research relating to Mars in 1892. … Flammarion synthesized the many sets of observations and drew conclusions about the physical characteristics of Mars and the likelihood that the planet can support life. Historians might consider this discussion a good example of the scientific method of the period. Summing Up: Recommended. Researchers/faculty and professionals/practitioners.” (D. E. Hogg, Choice, Vol. 52 (12), August, 2015)