Asteroids

We have conscripted asteroids into video games and transformed them into exotic landscapes through space exploration. At first we didn't know what to call them, and then we named them after ancient gods, close relatives, and the Beatles. Here Cunningham, the expert on asteroid history, conducts us from a time only a little more than two centuries ago, when no one knew asteroids exist, to now, when many know the dinosaurs were done in by one asteroid and wonder whether another might have our name on it. Cunningham has mined the asteroid belt to tell us the whole story of these small but compelling worlds-where they are, what they are, and what they mean for us. -- E. C. Krupp, director, Griffith Observatory The most engaging book that I have ever read on asteroids. The book covers every major topic and should be on the shelf of every person interested in asteroids. -- Thomas Burbine, visiting lecturer of astronomy, Mount Holyoke College, author of Asteroids: Astronomical and Geological Bodies This quintessential guide to asteroids, filled with informative photographs and other illustrations, is a must-read for those interested in the evolution of our solar system and the astrogeology of our planet. * Booklist *