NEWS FLASH!
Booklist
names The Big Splat an
Editor's Choice for 2003. The American Library Association publication
chose 63 adult books in eight categories for its annual list of the best
books in America. The Big Splat was one of only
four books chosen in the Science category.
News Flash! The New York Public Library
listed The Big Splat in its annual summer reading list,
Books for the Teen Age 2004.
Although I did not write The Big Splat specifically for teens, I am
delighted that the library believes it will appeal to young readers.
From Booklist, April 15, 2003:
"Mackenzie is a popular-science ace – magnetically readable,
preternaturally clear, amazingly concise. Consider this the popular
moon-science book of our time." (Ray Olson)
Read the complete review.
From Nature, 16 October 2003:
"This slim volume, written straightforwardly and engagingly
by Dana Mackenzie, a mathematician turned freelance writer, describes how a
collision produced Earth and the Moon... Besides elucidating how science
progresses, Mackenzie's book emphasizes the fact that impacts have been the
primary creative and destructive process throughout the history of the Solar
System." (Joseph A. Burns)
From Astronomy, November 2003:
"Dana Mackenzie's new book tells the story of how scientists
figured out the Moon was born from a gigantic glancing collision between the
proto-Earth and a Mars-sized object... All in all, The Big Splat is a
superb exploration of Earth and its satellite. Every Moon-buff will want a
copy." (Robert Burnham)
Just for a little balance, here is one review that was mostly
but not completely positive. The author is a very well-known British
astronomer and Moon expert.
From New Scientist, 7 June 2003:
"Mackenzie is convinced that the giant impact picture is
correct, referring to the wandering body as Theia. Certainly his arguments
are convincing, and very well presented, but he does give the impression
that the question has been definitely settled, and this is not so. ... All
in all, though, this is a most useful and interesting book, far better than
its title would suggest." (Patrick Moore)
Hey, I liked that title! Just goes to show that you
can't please everyone.
