Chasing Venus

Andrea Wulf's story of the chase is an enthralling, nail-biting thriller and will undoubtedly prove one of the non-fiction books of the year. Even if you fail to see the Transit, don't miss this wonderful book -- John Harding * Daily Mail * A fine example of scientific storytelling about astronomers of the Enlightenment observing the transit of Venus ... narrated with elegant expertise. -- Iain Finlayson * The Times * Historian Andrea Wulfs Chasing Venus is beautifully paced, alternating between expeditions, with lush descriptions of the often arduous journeys involved. * Nature * [a] truly excellent bookAndrea Wulf tell[s] the rip-roaring tales of numerous expeditions that set off around the globe to observe the Venusian transit of 1761[She] communicate[s] the verve and energy not to mention the perilous nature of the expeditions. -- Marcus Chown * New Scientist * It charts the story of a truly international effort; to not only observe the transit ... but to present the real quest that was to finally determine the distance between the Earth and the Sun ... [an] outstanding book! It's the book of the year so far do not miss it! * Astronomy Now * Andrea Wulfs immaculately researched book describes the endeavours of the early scientific community to observe the transit around the worldan absorbingexciting yarn. * The Lady * Replete with meticulous detail, delightful illustrations and a cast of very familiar names from world history, Chasing Venus is an eminently readable account of humanitys effort to chart the heavens. At once an exhilarating adventure, a tale of personal obsession, a tragedy and a detailed history of astronomical endeavour, Wulfs latest work is a fascinating read. * Press Association * The result is a human story, and its worth reading as a rallying call to humanitys quest to explore the universe simple for the sake of it. -- Tom Payne * Telegraph * Chasing Venus is the entertaining tale of the expeditions that set off across the globe to use a transit of Venus to gain the first true measure of the size of the Solar Systemcaptures the spirit of adventure and the wonder at mankinds new-found ability to understand the world around it a pleasure to read from beginning to end. * Sky at Night Magazine * [A] thrilling, stirring tale, very well told, of global cooperation, and how the passion for Enlightenment triumphed against enormous odds. -- Nicholas Lezard * Guardian *

Andrea Wulf was born in India and moved to Germany as a child. She trained as a design historian at the Royal College of Art and is the author of The Brother Gardeners (longlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize 2008 and winner of the American Horticultural Society 2010 Book Award), The Founding Gardeners and the co-author (with Emma Gieben-Gamal) of This Other Eden: Seven Great Gardens and 300 Years of English History. She has written for The New York Times, the Guardian, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times and many others. She lives in London.