Above and Beyond

With 'The Planets,' Dava Sobel Again Leavens Her Science with Considerable Humanity

IF MORE SCIENCE WRITERS practiced their crafts as sublimely as Dava Sobel, America might not be as clueless as it is when it comes to discerning how the universe works. In two pristinely written books, Sobel explored the search for a way to determine east-west position on the globe (Longitude) and the intersection of religion and science (Galileo's Daughter). In her most recent work, The Planets, she takes her inquisitiveness, her narrative gift, her exculpatory skills, and her childlike wonder and turns them heavenward, to the bodies of the Solar System. The result is no less enchanting than her previous works.

The Planets is a slim book, which makes it far more accessible than you'd think. Sobel wisely realizes that a weighty tome packed with facts and figures -- hell, you could write volumes on each planet -- would be no fun at all to read. And so she keeps things moving along. Despite the short chapters, you never feel as if you're being talked down to; Sobel's gift for conveying complex concepts in vivid, readable prose is on full display here. More importantly, she serves up the science with healthy amounts of history and biography and whimsy and fun. She never lets her readers forget that she is as amazed by the universe now as when she was a little girl, and that pervasive enthusiasm makes The Planets a must-read for anyone who's curious about where we came from, and where we might be headed.

Rating: ****1/2 (of 5)