Book Synopsis

This stunning collection of images provides a new look at the Solar System made possible by recent exciting missions such as Cassini as well as by other probes and by Earth-based imaging. The book takes advantage of the rich pool of images that is available to tell a story of the Solar System that has not been told before. The images, all from the public domain but not hitherto gathered into a coherent collection, are supported by text and graphics. Each main image is accompanied by a graphic showing the location in the Solar System of the featured object. All of these graphics are based in a template providing a simple representation of the Solar System. The text itself is not extensive, allowing page design to have a high priority. The book is intended for anybody who lives in solar orbit and takes a general interest in the solar neighborhood.

From the Back Cover

Ice, Rock, and Beauty is a book for anybody who lives in the solar neighborhood, and takes an interest in its significance to us as residents.

Human experience of the Solar System is changing rapidly. Techniques of observation from Earth-based telescopes continue to develop, while missions such as Voyager, Galileo, Cassini, and the Hubble Space Telescope have yielded many stunning images.

So although most people have some knowledge of the essential structure of the Solar System, relatively few are familiar with the amazing diversity of objects that travel with and amongst the planets in their journeys around the Sun.

The book gathers images from a rich pool, many from national and international organizations such as NASA and ESA, some directly from academic astronomers, and a few from private individuals. Together they tell a story of the Solar System, and of its beauty, that has not been told before.

Review Quotes

From the reviews:

"The author's plan is simple but compelling: select about 60 recent, stunning images of objects in the solar system and arrange them on double-page spreads so that each image is printed nice and large with related text on its facing page. ... It's a lovely book to dip into, with interesting angles on most of the objects chosen. A full index enables readers to navigate to entries of particular interest. ... Brodie shows how naturally science and humanity go together." (Peter Campbell, Physics Education, March, 2008)

"Brodie, a travel writer and textbook author, encapsulates, in dozens of color pictures with explanations alongside, the great gain in the sophistication available in the images from recent space probes. ... This book is for anyone who seeks to keep up on the solar system as it is known in the 21st century. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers/libraries." (A. R. Upgren, CHOICE, Vol. 45 (11), July, 2008)

"The aim of Ice, Rock, and Beauty ... is to show the diversity of the objects in the Solar System. ... The content is written in a beautifully poetic way ... . Each description is accompanied by a schematic of the Solar System, usefully illustrating the location of the Sun, Earth and the body that is being described. ... With accessible, descriptive language that captures the wonders of the Solar System, this book would be an excellent read ... ." (Emily Baldwin, Astronomy Now, October, 2008)

"This book is a collection of images of the smaller bodies in the Solar System. The greater part is taken up by more than sixty images, some in black and white, some in colour, true or false, and a few graphics. Nearly all the images are from space and are credited to NASA. ... The prose style is vivid and enthusiastic, well matching the images. ... The pictures are beautiful ... ." (Derek Jones, The Observatory, Vol. 128 (1206), October, 2008)

About the Author

David Brodie is the author of several successful educational textbooks and his travel writing has been published in the national press. He has initiated and run 'art-science' projects on neuroscience and on particle physics, resulting in significant national exhibitions.