Mask of the Sun

Starred review from March 15, 2017

Do you have friends planning a trip to Idaho or Missouri in August? They're probably traveling there to see the eclipse. The United States is about to enter a period of eclipse abundance, with total solar eclipses crossing large swaths of the country in 2017, 2024, and 2045. This will doubtless lead many curious readers seeking to know more. This book provides an excellent overview of how eclipses work and how people have interpreted them through time. The four-page "eclipse primer" with illustrations is especially handy and clear. Dvorak (The Last Volcano) explains complex scientific ideas succinctly and clearly without resorting to formula or jargon. Furthermore, he does an excellent job of conveying the wonder of eclipses, describing both their historical-cultural value and the inspirational effect they have on people. He mentions pivotal eclipses--such as the 1978 eclipse described in David Baron's American Eclipse--and places them in a larger context of scientific discovery and history. Along the way we meet famous writers, from Thucydides to Virginia Woolf, and scientists, from Ptolemy to Albert Einstein. VERDICT A splendid introduction to all aspects of eclipses; for all readers interested in science.--Cate Hirschbiel, Iwasaki Lib., Emerson Coll., Boston

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