Mars and Its Canals
Percival Lowell
Lu par LibriVox Volunteers
In the days before telescope photography, astronomers had to draw what they thought they saw through the eyepiece throughout the long dark nights. Sometimes they saw saw more than there really was to see, and a bit over 100 years ago Percival Lowell published books on what he was sure were canals on Mars, signs of intelligent civilization. (In case you too are skeptical, we also have at Librivox a criticism of Lowell's theories in a book published a year later (in 1907) by Alfred Russel Wallace.)
- Summary by ToddHW (10 hr 6 min)
Chapitres
| Preface | 4:40 | Lu par Larry Wilson |
| On Exploration | 14:48 | Lu par Adrian Stephens |
| A Departure-point | 13:12 | Lu par Adrian Stephens |
| A Bird’s-eye View of Past Martian Discovery | 19:47 | Lu par Adrian Stephens |
| The Polar Caps | 13:45 | Lu par Adrian Stephens |
| Behavior of the Polar Caps | 20:03 | Lu par realisticspeakers |
| Martian Polar Expeditions | 31:02 | Lu par MysticV0ice |
| White Spots | 14:16 | Lu par Florence |
| Climate and Weather | 26:38 | Lu par Phil Aldred |
| Mountains and Cloud | 19:35 | Lu par Micfairy252 |
| The Blue-green Areas | 16:56 | Lu par Anita Sloma-Martinez |
| Vegetation | 14:48 | Lu par AndrewConnolly |
| Terraqueousness and Terrestriality | 28:05 | Lu par Florence |
| The Reddish-ochre Tracts | 15:20 | Lu par SalvorHardin2020 |
| Summary | 20:18 | Lu par EdwardMontes |
| The Canals | 16:22 | Lu par Michael Knowles |
| Their System | 13:53 | Lu par Michael Knowles |
| Gemination of the Canals | 18:39 | Lu par Michael Knowles |
| The Double Canals, Parts 1 and 2 | 37:06 | Lu par Phil Aldred |
| The Double Canals, Parts 3 and 4 | 39:53 | Lu par Adrian Stephens |
| Canals in the Dark Regions | 7:46 | Lu par ToddHW |
| Oases | 25:22 | Lu par MysticV0ice |
| Carets on the Borders of the Great Diaphragm | 9:40 | Lu par Greg Giordano |
| The Canals Photographed | 12:03 | Lu par Availle |
| Canals: Kinematic | 36:13 | Lu par realisticspeakers |
| Canal Development Individually Instanced | 10:44 | Lu par wingyanli0903 |
| Hibernation of the Canals | 18:03 | Lu par Melanie D. Young |
| Arctic Canals and Polar Rifts | 8:19 | Lu par Greg Giordano |
| Oases: Kinematic | 6:02 | Lu par EdwardMontes |
| Constitution of the Canals and Oases | 14:18 | Lu par Michael Knowles |
| Life | 18:50 | Lu par Michael Knowles |
| Evidence | 10:13 | Lu par KevinB |
| The Husbanding of Water | 15:43 | Lu par KevinB |
| Conclusion | 14:14 | Lu par Larry Wilson |
Critiques
Early Astronomers were Explorers
msfry
Amateur astronomers and citizen scientists today will get a lot out of listening to this book. While the science as been debunked, the enthusiasm and willingness to reach for the stars and painstakingly record observations over many years as Mars came closest to earth, to help build up the storehouse of human knowledge, is truly inspirational. This was an unexpectedly enjoyable listen, well written and well read, and thoroughly unique, so I give it 5 stars.