Fred Taylor is Halley Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford. He is a senior figure in the planetary science community, and has been involved in NASA and ESA missions to study Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn. He is also a prolific author – in addition to his Mars book, he has written The Cambridge Photographic Guide to the Planets (2001) and the textbooks Elementary Climate Physics (2005) and Planetary Atmospheres (2010), and he has co-authored five other books. His lead roles in the Pioneer Venus and Venus Express missions give him a unique and authoritative perspective of this area. He is the recipient of numerous awards including thirteen NASA Achievement Awards; The Bates Medal of the European Geophysical Society, for Excellence in the Planetary Sciences; and The Arthur C. Clarke Lifetime Achievement Award.

'The Scientific Exploration of Venus is a fascinating book that tells us everything about our understanding of our neighbouring planet, from ancient times to modern exploration. In a clear and brilliant style, the author leads us along all aspects of this quest, from the early images and the ground-based spectroscopic observations to the achievements of the space era. Chapter after chapter, we learn how our knowledge of the planet has improved, what are the open issues, and finally what the future of the planet might be. This very complete and well-documented book about our sister planet will be a reference for not just scientists and students, but also for anyone interested in the future evolution of our own planet.' Dr Thérèse Encrenaz, Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, and author of Life Beyond Earth

• Part I. Views of Venus, from the Beginning to the Present Day: 1. The dawn of Venus exploration; 2. Mariner and Venera; 3. Pioneer Venus and Vega: orbiters, balloons and multi-probes; 4. Images of the surface; 5. The forgotten world; 6. Earth-based astronomy delivers a breakthrough; 7. Can't stop now; 8. Europe and Japan join in: Venus Express and Akatsuki; Part II. The Motivation to Continue the Quest: 9. Origin and evolution: the solid planet; 10. Atmosphere and ocean; 11. A volcanic world; 12. The mysterious clouds; 13. Superwinds and polar vortices; 14. The climate on Venus, past, present and future; 15. Could there be life on Venus?; Part III. Plans and Visions for the Future: 16. Solar system exploration; 17. Coming soon to a planet near you: planned Venus missions; 18. Towards the horizon: advanced technology; 19. Beyond the horizon: human expeditions; Epilogue; Appendix A. Chronology of space missions to Venus; Appendix B. Data about Venus.