Cadogan Guide to Mars (Cadogan Guides) [Paperback]

I brought this after reading Bill Bryson's comments in the New York Times and had a good guffaw. The authors, who usually write very irreverant guides about Europe, give Mars the same treatment-it not only makes science fun, but it makes you want to go to Mars on the next rocket out. Even my 11 year old has picked it up and used it for her science project at school. Pics are great too--altogether a fun little book!

I bought this book based on the first reviewer's comments, hoping that I, too, could have some laughs and learning about the Red Planet! A guide to Mars just seemed so over-the-top, I had to explore it!

When I received the book and read this comment on the back cover, I knew I was in for something wonderfully unique: "Each year, more and more modern families are considering Mars for their summer holidays. The old inconveniences associated with travel and accommodation on the exciting and scenic Red Planet are fading fast. Anyone who enjoys a crisp and bracing climate, guaranteed year-round sunshine, and picturesque boulders far for the madding crowds should look at Mars again." I was hooked! hahahaha I wanted to go to Mars!

The book is divided into seven intriguing sections, which inform as well as entertain:

1) Travel (A clever description on how to pack for and get to Mars, where the round-trip journey is about 309 million miles! Also, there is a quiet talk about passports, Visas, and other entry issues. )

2) Practical A-Z (Here are some important travel tidbits regarding best times to go, climate, the Martian calendar and events, sky-gazing, food and drink, the Martian entertainment and night life, where to stay, calling home, religion, sports... You know, all your typical travel highlights!)

3) Mars in the Night Sky (A clever look at retrograde motion and Mars curious celestial personality)

4) Touring the Planet (An insider's detailed look at Aerography, the study of Mars' surface features and landforms: the Martian Poles, Mare Australe, Promethei Rupes, Big Joe, Cydonia & The Face, Tharsis, Olympus Mons, Valles Marineris, Syrtis Major, and others. Don't forget your moon trips and climbers' tips!)

5) A History of Mars (Explore the Martian Genesis; Mars in Earth mythology, history, science, and astrology; the Canal Craze; Mars in Sci-Fi and Fantasy--including a cool section called "War of the Worlds, Part II: All's Well that ends Welles." )

6) The Space Age begins (Read all about "Early Mars Tourism" efforts! LOL :) Enjoy early missions to Mars and their results. Tiny debate: does the face on Mars look like Ted Kennedy? Only readers can decide! This section also includes speculations on Martian Colonies for the future!)

7) Marsology (In here, find a fantastic listing of books and other media--fiction and non-fiction-- devoted to the Red Planet. Any Mars fan can benefit from this extensive guide to other resources, a grand checklist to explore.)

For a small book, there is a lot of info (and "dry" British humor) packed in the Cadogan Travellers' Guide to Mars. It is a refreshing read, and I believe it is well worth the price paid. The book is also an excellent resource for students who may have to study Mars science, history, and / or mythology. Makes a great primer for how to prepare for that BIG vacation of a lifetime!

Home-schooling parents and early college educators who wish to do unique, integrative studies mixing science, literature, mythology, humor, critical thinking, and creativity should take a look at what this book offers. People interested in colonizing and terra-forming Mars should read this book too! Celebrating imagination and innovation, this book offers its readers a fun journey that is both real in the context of its time and extraordinary.

As we learn more about Mars and as we continue to visit the planet with new technology, no doubt some of the facts / ideas in this book will begin to date themselves; however, that too will be quite funny--just as we now look at all those canal theories at the turn of the century and laugh! The best way to appreciate this book is to enjoy it for what it is...a clever travel parody that promotes further reading and discussion about the Red Planet and its many mysteries.

NOTE to those concerned: What you won't find in this book are the very recent Mars rover missions like Spirit and Opportunity or the upcoming Phoenix mission, slated for May 25, 2008. Readers who prefer a more serious, more in-depth "trip" / treatment to the Red Planet should investigate William K Hartmann's A Traveler's Guide to Mars or Planet Mars: Story of Another World (Springer Praxis Books / Popular Astronomy) by François Forget.