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 Wulf’s Chasing Venus is beautifully paced, alternating between expe­ditions, with lush descriptions of the often arduous journeys involved. * Nature *
[a] truly excellent book…Andrea 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 Wulf’s immaculately researched book describes the endeavours of the early scientific community to observe the transit around the world…an absorbing…exciting 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 humanity’s effort to chart the heavens. At once an exhilarating adventure, a tale of personal obsession, a tragedy and a detailed history of astronomical endeavour, Wulf’s latest work is a fascinating read. * Press Association *
The result is a human story, and it’s worth reading as a rallying call to humanity’s 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 System…captures the spirit of adventure and the wonder at mankind’s 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 lives in London and is the author of several books, including The Invention of Nature- Alexander von Humboldt’s New World (Winner of the 2015 Costa Biography Award and the 2016 Royal Society Science Book Prize) and Magnificent Rebels- The First Romantics and the Invention of the Self. A member of PEN American Center and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, she is currently a Miller Scholar at the Santa Fe Institute.

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