Unique atlas with 144 maps covering the entire Moon. Indispensable reference for planetary and space scientists, lunar enthusiasts and astronomers.

The aim of the present book has been to provide an outline - the first of its kin- of the history of the human efforts to map the topography of the surface of our satellite, from the days of pre-telescopic astronomy up to the present. These efforts commenced modestly at the time when the unaided eye was still the only tool at the disposal of men interested in the face of our satellite; and were con tinued since for more than three centuries by a small band of devoted friends of the Moon in several countries. Many of these were amateur astronomers, and almost all were amateur cartographers; though some highly skilled in their art. The reader interested in the history oflunar mapping between 1600 and 1960 will find its outline in the first chapter of this book; and can follow the way in which the leadership in the mapping of the Moon, the cradle of which stood in Italy, passed successively to France, Germany, and eventually to the United States. All efforts described in this chapter were wholly superseded by subsequent devel opments since 1960, largely motivated by logistic needs of a grand effort which cul minated with repeated manned landings on the Moon between 1969-1972- a feat which will remain for ever one of the glories of our century.

An intimate portrait of the Earth's closest neighbor--the Moon--that explores the history and future of humankind's relationship with it Every generation has looked towards the heavens and wondered at the beauty of the Moon. Fifty years ago, a few Americans became the first to do the reverse--and shared with Earth-bound audiences the view of their own planet hanging in the sky instead. Recently, the connection has been discovered to be even closer: a fragment of the Earth's surface was found embedded in a rock brought back from the Moon. And astronauts are preparing to return to the surface of the Moon after a half-century hiatus--this time to the dark side. Oliver Morton explores how the ways we have looked at the Moon have shaped our perceptions of the Earth: from the controversies of early astronomers such as van Eyck and Galileo, to the Cold War space race, to the potential use of the Moon as a stepping stone for further space exploration. Advanced technologies, new ambitions, and old dreams mean that men, women, and robots now seem certain to return to the Moon. For some, it is a future on which humankind has turned its back for too long. For others, an adventure yet to begin.

Why write another guide to observing the Moon? That was the question I was pondering as I began this project, having a fine collection of "classic" lunar guidebooks dating back to 1791 in my own library. As a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), member of the American Astronomical Society's Division for Planetary Sciences (AAS DPS), and member of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), I am fortunate to know many pro fessionallunar scientists who keep me up to date with developments in lunar scienc- contrary to public perception, lunar science has definitely not stagnated since the last Apollo, No. 17, left the surface of the Moon in December, 1972. I am also lucky to know many amateur lunar observers, who, like me, enjoy actually looking at the Moon with tele scopes and imaging it with a wide variety of devices ranging from regular 35 mm cameras to video recorders and CCD cameras. My friends who study the Moon, whether in their professions or just for fun, gave me several reasons for doing "another" lunar guidebook. First, the last lunar observer's guide of any length was published over ten years ago, and many reviewers noted that it was badly out of date even then.