The Martians: The True Story of an Alien Craze that Captured Turn-of-the-Century America

by David Baron

“There Is Life on the Planet Mars” —New York Times, December 9, 1906


The Times headline was no joke. In the early 1900s, many Americans actually believed that we had discovered intelligent life on Mars. The Martians—a truly bizarre tale reconstructed through newly discovered clippings, letters, and photographs by bestselling science writer David Baron—begins in the 1890s with Percival Lowell, a wealthy Harvard scion who was so certain of his Mars discovery that he (almost) convinced a generation of astronomers that grainy telescopic photographs of the red planet revealed meltwater and an intricate canal system, declaring “there can be no doubt that living beings inhabit our neighboring world” (New York Times). So frenzied was the reaction that international controversies arose. Tesla announced he had received Martian radio signals. Biologists debated whether Martians were winged or gilled. Martians headlined Broadway shows, and a new genre called science fiction arose. While Lowell’s claims were savagely debunked, his influence sparked a compulsive interest in Mars and life in outer space that continues to this day.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Science, Astronomy, Historical, Space, Aliens

336 pages, Hardcover

First published August 26, 2025

About the author

David Baron is an award-winning journalist and author who writes about science, nature, and the American West. Formerly a science correspondent for NPR and science editor for the public radio program The World, he has also written for The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Scientific American, and other publications. While conducting research for his latest book, THE MARTIANS, he served as the Baruch S. Blumberg NASA/Library of Congress Chair in Astrobiology, Exploration, and Scientific Innovation. David is an avid eclipse chaser, and his TED Talk on the subject has been viewed more than 2 million times. An affiliate of the University of Colorado’s Center for Environmental Journalism, he lives in Boulder.

Reviews

[Blaine DeSantis]

Just a superb book about the history of Martians, the observations of the planet. The book focuses mainly on US pseudo astronomer Percival Lowell and his mapping of the Red Planet. Thanks to Lowell generations grew up thinking there were Canals on the planet, which in turn led to the idea that there were human like creatures who inhabited Mars, and that the canals were used to grow vegetation to feed the Martians, Lowell spend years observing the planet, and Tesla also got involved at one point in time trying to contact the planet. It is wonderfully researched and we get into the "yellow press", the building of bigger and better telescopes, H.G. Wells and his War of the Worlds book and how it was adapted for readers in New York & Boston when it came out in the 1890's. Yes, a true tour de force on our obsession with Mars, Martians, etc. This one is a fast read and one that is for me a true 5*****!!!

[Ashton Ahart · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Martians is a lyrical account of the Mars craze that sweeped the turn of the 20th century. From the perspectives of scientists, engineers, and visionaries with plenty of sensationalized journalism mixed in, this book provides an interesting lens into Earth's closest neighbor and the obsession that came from it.

[Peter Tillman]

WSJ review: https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/book...
(Paywalled. As always, I'm happy to email a copy to non-subscribers)
Excerpt:
"Lowell’s depictions of Martian life were pure fantasy, but they appealed to the public. ...
Lowell’s wild conjectures inspired the rocket scientist Robert H. Goddard, the science-fiction pioneer Hugo Gernsback and the astronomer Carl Sagan. Ray Bradbury, whose books include “The Martian Chronicles” (1950), paid homage to the likes of Lowell in a 1971 interview: “I think it’s part of the nature of man to start with romance and build to a reality. There’s hardly a scientist or an astronaut I’ve met who wasn’t beholden to some romantic before him who led him to doing something in life.”

I plan to take a look, when our libraries get a copy.

[Sarah Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review: The Martians: The True Story of an Alien Craze that Captured Turn-of-the-Century America by David Baron

David Baron’s The Martians is a captivating excavation of a forgotten cultural moment when America collectively hallucinated intelligent life on Mars—and in doing so, revealed more about human nature than extraterrestrial reality. As a woman and scholar of science communication, I was struck by how Baron frames this historical episode not as mere pseudoscientific folly, but as a lens for examining societal anxieties, class dynamics, and the seductive power of narrative. The book’s central figure, Percival Lowell—the aristocratic astronomer whose “canal” theories ignited Mars mania—emerges as a tragic emblem of how privilege can amplify speculative ideas, while the public’s fervent embrace of Martians (from Broadway shows to Nikola Tesla’s radio claims) exposes our timeless hunger for cosmic connection.

What resonated most deeply was Baron’s nuanced portrayal of gendered skepticism in the scientific backlash. While male critics like Alfred Russel Wallace dismantled Lowell’s theories with empirical rigor, Baron subtly highlights how women astronomers (like Williamina Fleming) were simultaneously making groundbreaking discoveries yet excluded from the Mars discourse—a tension I wished he’d explored further. The chapters detailing Lowell’s Atacama expedition and its sensationalized “proof” of canals evoked visceral frustration; I found myself aching for the marginalized voices (Indigenous Chileans, female scientists) sidelined in this Eurocentric quest. Baron’s prose, however, is masterful—equal parts wry and empathetic, transforming historical figures into flawed, fully human characters.

Structurally, the book occasionally struggles to balance its dual aims: a biography of Lowell and a cultural history of Mars mania. The middle sections linger on technical debates about telescopic optics, which, while academically rigorous, dilute the emotional momentum. A deeper analysis of how race and imperialism shaped Martian fantasies (e.g., the utopian society trope echoing colonial myths) would have strengthened Baron’s critique of projection as a cultural reflex. Still, his closing meditation on modern Mars colonization dreams—and their eerie parallels to Lowell’s era—left me chilled with recognition.

Strengths:

-Cultural Archaeology: Brilliantly contextualizes Mars mania within Gilded Age anxieties and scientific theater.
-Narrative Craft: Baron’s journalistic flair turns complex astronomy into page-turning drama.
-Provocative Parallels: Draws urgent lines between past delusions and present-day space rhetoric.

Critiques:

-Intersectional Gaps: Underdeveloped analysis of how gender/race shaped participation in and resistance to Mars narratives.
-Pacing Issues: Technical digressions disrupt the thematic flow in later chapters.

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5) – A dazzling but imperfect work that illuminates how our cosmic fantasies reveal earthly biases.

Thank you to W. W. Norton and Edelweiss for providing a free advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Final Thought: Baron’s greatest achievement is showing how Mars has always been a Rorschach test. As we today dream of terraforming it, The Martians warns: beware the stories we tell about red planets—they’re usually about us.

[Susan Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a crazy story! I had no idea that in the years around 1900, many folks were convinced that Martians existed, led by the persuasive Percival Lowell. And a strong nonfiction book like this one leads me to add many more books to my TBR! Looking forward to meeting the author & getting this book autographed at the National Book Festival.

[Horror Nerd · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sprawling narrative (covering decades and involving such intriguing people as H.G. Wells & Nikola Tesla!) focused on how the bold claims of one Percival Lowell (that Mars held intelligent life), spread so far and wide in popular culture. It was fascinating to read about this hoax, and see just how many people got drawn into the argument. This all might have happened ages ago, but this 'Martian myth' read as very modern.
The conclusion of the book was a little more hopeful than the overall narrative, showing that despite Lowell's false claims, his work DID inspire others in the future to study & explore Mars.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is an inspiring epic of human inventiveness. It is a cautionary tale of mass delusion. It is a drama of battling egos. Ultimately, though, it is a love story, an account of when we, the people of Earth, fell hard for another planet and projected our fantasies, desires and ambitions onto an alien world. [Introduction]

This is an account of Percival Lowell's obsession with the planet Mars, and its profound consequences for the human race. Following the observations of Schiaparelli -- who described a network of long straight lines on the planet, 'canali' (channels, but mistranslated as 'canals') -- Lowell, a wealthy businessman, published a number of books about his observations and his interpretation of them. He also founded the Lowell Observatory, and inspired a generation of scientists and science fiction authors.

The first part of the book, 'Century's End - 1876-1900', recounts Lowell's early life, and the context in which his astronomical work was received: his first books were published in the 1890s, in a period where science and technology were celebrated. Several reputable figures had asserted that life was not only possible but probable on other planets, and there was much discussion -- in parallel with the fashion for spiritualism -- about how to communicate with the inhabitants of our nearest neighbour. Nikola Tesla was convinced that his work in 'wireless telegraphy' (radio) would enable him to signal Mars.

In the second section, 'A New Civilization - 1901-1907', the sense of the limitless possibilities of the new century is strong. Mars became fashionable: everything from stage plays to dance tunes, advertising, and a plethora of stories in the popular press. (Meanwhile in London, Edward Maunder, an assistant at the Royal Observatory, conducted a study at the Royal Hospital School in Greenwich, showing that schoolboys perceived straight lines on images of Mars if seated at a certain distance from the pictures. Closer, and they could distinguish the lines and curves that made up those 'straight lines': further away and it was all a blur.) 

The third section, 'The Earthlings Respond - 1908-1916', describes the waning of popular enthusiasm for Lowell's ideas -- although he continued his lecture tours until his death in 1916, maintaining that "the difficulty in establishing the fact that Mars is inhabited lies not in the lack of intelligence on Mars, but rather the lack of it here." What he lacked in scientific rigour, he made up for in sheer stubborn belief.

Baron's epilogue, 'Children of Mars', celebrates Lowell's legacy. He suggests that the reason the American public were so ready to believe that Orson Welles' radio production of The War of the Worlds was real news was that many could remember all the newspaper reports about life on Mars. And, more importantly, 'intelligent eyes really had been watching human affairs keenly and closely': not aliens but children* who grew up hearing stories and theories about other worlds. A young man in Luxembourg was enthralled by Lowell's Mars: his name was Hugo Gernsback, and he is regarded as a key figure in the rise of science fiction as a genre. H P Lovecraft attended one of Lowell's lectures aged 16; H G Wells met Lowell and discussed Mars with him (this fact established by Baron's own research); and Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars featured canals, deserts and dry lakes, just as Lowell had suggested. Burroughs' Barsoom, in turn, inspired another generation of writers and scientists, including Carl Sagan, Ray Bradbury and Arthur C Clarke.

This was a great read, full of fascinating detail and copious illustrations. Baron's authorial voice is unobtrusive: his accounts of his research expeditions are interesting but very much secondary to the main narrative. There's a good bibliography and extensive references. And I did like his conclusion:

... I thought I had set out to tell a tale of human folly, about how easy it is to deceive ourselves into believing things simply because we wish them to be true... I discovered another, perhaps more powerful takeaway: Human imagination is a force so potent that it can change what is true. Thanks to Lowell's Martian fantasies that helped inspire the early space age, visiting the Red Planet has become a potentially realisable goal for today's children. [loc. 3031]

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance review copy, in exchange for this full honest review. UK Publication Date is 26 AUG 2025.

* same thing?

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for an advance copy of this new look at an early 20th century craze that swept the nation, one that scared and intrigued people, one that inspired many, and gave rise to a lot of different stories, ideas and conspiracies that we are still enjoying, or dealing with today.

I never thought it about it much but while other men are thinking about the Roman Empire, I find myself thinking of Mars. The Red Planet was part of my childhood with Marvin the Martian, and his duels with Daffy and Bugs Bunny. Somehow I remember watching My Favorite Martian, but I am not that old. I read Martian Chronicles and John Carter adventures set on Mars one summer, two different sets of stories that inspired me in different ways. And honestly anything I read about the Mars Rovers always make me sad, thinking about those robots carrying on past the life expectancy doing work, and making science, with only a cold lonely fate to look forward too. I guess I am not alone as many a finance bro and billionaire think of Mars as the next great thing, a landscape to exploit, maybe even a shelter from a dying Earth. Thinking about Mars is not a new thing. At the start of the 20th century, science was progressing in leaps and bounds. The heavens were being explored, and Mars was being made visible to telescopes and thinkers. And people who loved stories more than facts. The Martians: The True Story of an Alien Craze that Captured Turn-of-the-Century America by science writer David Baron is a look at a time when Mars was the place, to paraphrase Sun Ra, when thoughts of aliens, canals, invasions, and much more filled the newspapers and lecture halls, and their effect on art, science and our thinking today.

The beginning of the 20th century was one of scientific technology leaping forward, with ideas coming quick and fast. The world was being explored, telegrams and telephones were able to speed communications. And the heavens were suddenly closer. Especially Mars. There had been much speculation on the planet being full of life, as a mistranslation of an Italian work by Giovanni Schiaparelli where he saw channels that was translated wrongly into canals. This error meant that many thought these formations were created by intelligent life, though many at the time were sure this was not so. However the world had changed much in a short period of time. Much of this change affected how people saw the world, and their importance in it. Into this stepped a young scientist with money to fund his experiments. Percival Lowell had the family name, the background and the ability to communicate to people, which he did on a series of lectures about Mars. How could Martians survive? Did they fly? Did they have gills? As more and more interest became apparant, soon the newspapers were making up stories for their readers. Tales of creatures, tales of structures on the surface. Tales of what could happen if they came here. Discussions began about what was real, and what was not, but soon Martian fever began to seep into the public consciousness, and people wanted more.

I had known that Mars was a phenomena at one point, but I had no idea how big. Nor the effect that much of this had on not only science and scientific presentation and methods, but about art, and thinking. Baron is a very good writer, able to make the science clear and understandable, while also detailing the many different aspects in society that were being undergoing a lot of upheaval. Baron profiles many from Lowell, to H. G. Welles, and also a name that does not get enough attention. Maria Mitchell and her efforts to bring more women into science, when this idea wasn't even considered possible or useful. There are many good stories, and lots of asides of facts and information that really make the book quite enjoyable.

An interesting read for people who like to read about science, the fascinating people involved in science, both good and bad. Also science fiction fans will get a lot out of this. Probably like myself in thinking how different their life would be without Mars.

[Dave Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

The idea of life on Mars in the 21st century is generally the stuff of science fiction or children's cartoons, but at the turn of the 20th Century most people believed that there were canals on Mars built by intelligent life. Were they were watching us here on Earth? Could we communicate with them via the new wireless radio? Newspapers as reputable as the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal routinely published headlines contemplating aspects of Martian life, and amateur astronomers packed lecture halls with their thrilling talks on the red planet.

Chief among them was Percival Lowell, a wealthy young man whose fancy had always been with the stars and the endless expanse of the galaxy. Nikola Tesla was in the picture too (often disagreeing with Lowell's theories), as was H.G. Wells. They all followed the publications of Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli. It was Schiaparelli who first identified the "canali" on our neighboring planet, a label that was mistranslated into "canals". But what if there were canals on Mars? What would it imply about the sophistication and mastery of their world of creatures with the ability to build perfectly straight structures that ran for thousands of miles?

The concept fired the world's imagination. Casual astronomers routinely traveled the globe to get better views of astronomical events like eclipses. Lowell, blessed with great riches thanks to his wealthy family, built an observatory in Arizona, then another in South America, the better to see and map those canals. But what he saw with his limited telescopes was as much an optical illusion as the actual features of the distant planet, and ultimately his entire theory of intelligent life was disproven.

Science writer David Baron offers up a fascinating history of this era of Martian fever, approximately the late 1800s up to the 1920s, when wars and other global matters pushed the imagined Martians off the front pages and out of people's drawing rooms and casual conversations. The book is very focused on Lowell, however, suggesting that it might be better with the subtitle "How Percival Lowell ignited Western imaginations about the red planet" or similar. Still, a very engaging read, recommended for space enthusiasts and people who are intrigued by how crowds and groupthink can influence the national agenda and conversation.

Disclosure: I received this book through NetGalley in return for this candid review.

[Lori L (She Treads Softly) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Martians by David Baron is a highly recommended entertaining and historical account of the obsession with Mars that occurred at the turn of the 20th century. As science journalist Baron explains in the prologue this fixation on Mars and it's potential canals and intelligent life forms is an example of human imagination and inventiveness but it is also a cautionary tale of mass delusion and battling egos. Ultimately, it is a historical account of people projecting their fantasies, desires, and ambitions onto an alien world.

Involved in the claim of observing and recording of canals on Mars and the contention of intelligent life were primarily Percival Lowell in America, Camille Flammarion in France, and scientist Giovanni Schiaparelli in Italy, who first purported seeing ancient canals. The narrative mainly follows Lowell's obsession with canals and a civilization. He even went on lecture tours and wrote books about Mars. Inventor Nikola Tesla was sure he would be able to invent a way to signal Mars. Also encouraging the obsession were numerous science fiction writers. The text includes many photos and illustrations.

Beginning with the Prologue, the book is then presented in three parts: Century's End - 1876-1900; A New Civilization - 1901-1907; The Earthlings Respond - 1908-1916. This is followed by an Epilogue, Children of Mars, which follows the impact of the Martian mania on popular culture. This is followed by Notes on Sources, an Abbreviations index, Notes, a List of Illustrations, and a Select Bibliography. Baron notes that the research for the book has involved hundreds of books, thousands of newspaper and magazine articles, and tens of thousand of pages in dairies, scrapbooks, logs, and letters form a wide variety of archives.

Anyone who enjoys history and associated pop culture trends will be entertained by The Martians. Thanks to W.W. Norton & Company/Liveright for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2025/0...

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Why Mars?" is the question asked not only by the author, but of the reader. Why this fascination with the red planet, one of Earth's closest neighbors? And why was there this fixation on canals and intelligent life on Mars? Where did that come from and what has it spawned? Those are some of the questions that David Baron seeks to answer in The Martians.

David Baron divides his tale into three parts - Part One - Century's End - 1876-1900, Part Two - A New Civilization - 1901-1907, and Part Three - The Earthlings Respond - 1908-1916. David Bruce brings in all of the big guns of the day - Percival Lowell who became enthralled with the Far East before he turned his vision onto the heavens, the Widow Guzman who funded the Pierre Guzman prize for communication with another planet, or star, Camille Flammarion, a French astronomer, and color-blind Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli who mapped Mars and drew in the canali or channels that he saw on the surface which caused much confusion when the term migrated into English as "canals." Later on Nicoli Tesla makes his appearance along with H. G. Wells who brings a Martian invasion to his local village. A whole host of British and American astronomers who argue both for and against the concept of Martian life spend decades going back and forth over the evidence that Lowell and others produce until newer and better telescopes clarify the view of Mars from Earth. David Baron not only tells the tale of the Martian craze, he also provides the context in which it occurred giving the reader a feel for the popular culture that existed alongside it and the consequences and influence the craze had on American and world culture.

If a well-written true science tale mixed with popular culture is what you crave, pick up David Baron's The Martians and be prepared to enjoy yourself!

Thanks Netgalley and Liveright Publishing Corporation for the chance to read this title!

[David Robertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Partly a biography of Gilded Age dilettante-turned-amateur astronomer Percival Lowell, and partly an exploration of the Mars mania that gripped America and Europe from 1876-1909, this is an erudite, accessible and engaging cautionary tale about infectious self-delusion. The text is supplemented with numerous historical black-and-white and grayscale images throughout. The book is carefully researched and thoroughly documented with extensive endnotes keyed to citations in the text; in addition to the notes, the end-matter contains a list of abbreviations, a list of illustrations, and a select bibliography. While the book encompasses about 310 pages, fully 71 of those pages are devoted to the end-matter.

Occasionally, author David Baron inserts himself into the narrative to share his personal impressions when he has visited historic locations that are important to the story. These anecdotes help to humanize the story, and are always brief and don't feel intrusive. Including these reflections was a good decision.

I awarded the book 4 stars, but it probably deserves 4.5; however, it did not earn 5 stars (in my opinion) because it is a bit repetitive and is sometimes overwritten.

[Jean Lindholm · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I am a SciFi enthusiast, it was fun to read about the beginnings of the Martian craze. When telescopes were strong enough to catch blurry glimpses of Mars - the canals, the seas, the polar ice caps - and imagine the life that must be there. Many famous people became obsessed with this idea, including Edison, Marconi, Lowell, Schiaparelli, and tried different ways of communicating with them. H.G. Wells wrote THE WAR OF THE WORLDS during this time. Although we now have stronger telescopes, and know there are no canals, nor is there any water, our fascination continues. Why else would we have a recent popular movie called THE MARTIAN and many sci-fi movies and books about that very thing? This book covers the years 1897 through WWI, the years when the above-mentioned men were alive. Mars craze did not die with them, but it inspired many to look to the sky and imagine the possibilities. THE MARTIANS is just the beginning. An interesting read for Mars buffs and anyone else that likes history.

[Caleb · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Baron's "The Martians" brilliantly captures the electrifying fervor of the early 1900s, a time when the world was gripped by an unparalleled obsession with life beyond Earth. With masterful storytelling, Baron delves into the era's blend of scientific discovery and wild imagination, painting a vivid picture of how the public's fascination with Martians ignited both awe and hysteria. His narrative effortlessly transports readers to a time when telescopes became portals to other worlds, and the line between science and speculation blurred under the tantalizing possibility of extraterrestrial neighbors. This compelling account not only celebrates humanity's relentless curiosity but also underscores how the allure of the unknown can captivate the collective consciousness.

[Chris Barsanti · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a better universe – where HBO is never called Max, everyone can agree on which prestige show we should watch, and The Walking Dead has never happened – a late season of Julian Fellowes’ The Gilded Age series would work details from David Baron’s The Martians into multiple episodes. Incredible as it sounds, for about 15 years, a good-sized slice of the American public—including many upper-class denizens who frequented the theater and lecture halls for edification and improvement—was not just convinced there was intelligent life on Mars, but desperately wanted it to be so...

Full review is at PopMatters.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to W. W. Norton and Net Gallery for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

4.5 stars

This book was fun! I love when a skilled journalist writes a book about something that strikes my fancy.

I knew the broadest strokes about the canals on Mars kerfuffle (it happened) and Percival Lowell (famous MA family, Lowell Observatory named after him). But I got the full story without being bored to tears with dry dusty prose.

I loved meeting all the major players and really felt like I got a sense of their personalities. I appreciated what was essentially an account of intellectual infighting giving the blow by blow without feeling biased or tabloidey.

Special shout out to the epilogue which is one of the best final chapters of a popular science book I've ever read.

[Andrea Wenger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Using newly discovered primary sources, this book reconstructs the era of Mars mania. In the early 1900s, Percival Lowell’s claims of canals and intelligent life on Mars captivated the public. He sparked an international debate, influencing the rise of science fiction stories and our enduring fascination with extraterrestrial life. This well-researched and easy-to-read book is part biography, part pop culture, and a lot of fun.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

[Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some fun colorful characters, but generally underwhelming.

I was most struck by profound shift we've undergone from a time when the world generally assumed that science and technology meant inevitable progress. There's a real sadness in recognizing that all this silly little comedy takes place under the shadow of the approaching 20th century. They thought they were living in a sci-fi fantasy world; they were living in an abattoir.

[Martin Southard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember always being fascinated by Martians from an early age. As a young boy I remember seeing ‘The Martian Chronicles on TV and was filled with wonder and fear..
From the beginning of the 20th Century our interest in Mars grew into a craze which influenced Art in all its forms.
A compelling story for anyone curious as to the connections between stories and science of the Red Planet

[Greg Hicks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story, but disappointed by the audio narration. The book focuses heavily on Percival Lowell’s research on Mars and everyone’s fascination with the potential of Martian life. However, more interesting is the underlying story of the power of wanting to believe something so badly that it leads to closed mindedness even in the face of scientific evidence.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read. Not exactly what I expected but great. The author does a great job of intertwining the Martian historian with the political and scientific activities of the time. It was amazing to find that well known trusted scientists fell into the mars mania

[Coloradobetta · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like Erik Larson you will love this book. Told with details, humor, and humanity. Loved it!

[Jennifer]

"Science" book recommendations from Clay Smith, the Literary Director at the Library of Congress, from the 2025 National Book Festival author lineup.

[David Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating! And very well written!!

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy!

An excellent look at the late Victorian / early Edwardian through the lens of the people studying Mars and how it became a part of the shared culture in a way that never really left the public sphere. All sorts of famous people pop up here - Tesla, Teddy Roosevelt, Emily Dickenson, Queen Victoria, Percival Lowell, H. G. Wells, and more, all fascinated with Mars, and as always, Mars acting very much as a mirror to current hopes and fears.