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Dante and the Early Astronomer: Science, Adventure, and a Victorian Woman Who Opened the Heavens Audiobook
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Explore the evolution of astronomy from Dante to Einstein, as seen through the eyes of trailblazing Victorian astronomer Mary Acworth Evershed.
In 1910, Mary Acworth Evershed (1867–1949) sat on a hill in southern India staring at the moon as she grappled with apparent mistakes in Dante’s Divine Comedy. Was Dante’s astronomy unintelligible? Or was he, for a man of his time and place, as insightful as one could be about the sky?
As the twentieth century began, women who wished to become professional astronomers faced difficult cultural barriers, but Evershed joined the British Astronomical Association and, from an Indian observatory, became an experienced observer of sunspots, solar eclipses, and variable stars. From the perspective of one remarkable amateur astronomer, listeners will see how ideas developed during Galileo’s time evolved or were discarded in Newtonian conceptions of the cosmos and recast in Einstein’s theories. The result is a book about the history of science but also a poetic meditation on literature, science, and the evolution of ideas.
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“Daugherty…has uncovered a small gem within the history of astronomy. Along the way, readers become acquainted with the British romantics, Australian aboriginal astronomy, the folklore of India, and brief lessons on the sun’s energy production and Einsteinian physics…An eclectic and engaging look at the Victorian and Edwardian ages.”
— Washington Post
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“Does an impressive job of capturing the intellectual history of a fascinating woman who crossed disciplines and centuries of astronomical advances during her lifetime.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Narrator David Stifel delivers this audiobook in a steady, unadorned performance…Stifel differentiates letters and quoted passages with pauses and provides clear pronunciation of Indian and Italian words. Listeners will gain further appreciation for women in science.”
— AudioFile -
“A fascinating picture of one of the English popularizers of astronomy who bridged both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.”
— Owen Gingerich, author of God’s Planet -
“A creative tale of time-travel that connects the obsessions of a brilliant young woman and her celestial love affair with the sublime poetry of Dante.”
— Priyamvada Natarajan, astrophysicist and author of Mapping the Heavens -
“In Daugherty’s wonderfully inclusive fusion of history, science, and literary criticism, the work of a most unusual woman comes alive in its true context. An entrancing read.”
— Andrea Barrett, author of Ship Fever -
“An almost magical blend of Dante and modern astronomical theory, and a fascinating picture of one of the English popularizers of astronomy who bridged the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.”
— Owen Gingerich, author of God’s Planet
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About Tracy Daugherty
Tracy Daugherty (he/him) is the author of several literary biographies, several novels and short story collections, a memoir, a book of personal essays, a collection of essays on writing, and a novella collection. His 2009 biography of Donald Barthelme, Hiding Man, was a named a notable book of the year by the New York Times and New Yorker. His 2015 biography of Joan Didion, The Last Love Song, was a New York Times bestseller. His work has been recognized by the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. At Oregon State University he helped found the MFA program in creative writing. He was born and raised in Texas.
About David Stifel
David Stifel trained at the Yale School of Drama and has worked for such noted film directors as Steven Spielberg and Danny Boyle.