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Named one of the best books of the month by Flavorwire, Bustle, Harper’s Bazaar, Real Simple, Refinery29, Men’s Journal, BBC, and The National Book Review
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Ms. Sobel writes with an eye for a telling detail and an ear for an elegant turn of phrase. . . . [The Glass Universe is] a joy to read.
— The Wall Street Journal
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Sobel lucidly captures the intricate, interdependent constellation of people it took to unlock mysteries of the stars . . . The Glass Universe positively glows.
— NPR
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An elegant historical tale…[from] the master storyteller of astronomy.
— The Boston Globe
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Sobel mixes discussions of the most abstruse topics with telling glimpses of her subjects’ lives, in the process showing how scientific and social progress often go hand in hand.
— The New Yorker
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A peerless intellectual biography. The Glass Universe shines and twinkles as brightly as the stars themselves. –The Economist
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At once an exhaustive and detailed account of a breakthrough moment in the world of science, as well as a compelling portrait of pioneering women who contributed as much to the progress of female empowerment as they did to the global understanding of both astronomy and photography.
— Harper’s Bazaar
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[Sobel] traces a remarkable line in American female achievement…[and] captures the stalwart spirit of Pickering’s female finds.
— USA Today
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Sobel has distinguished herself with lucid books about scientists and their discoveries . . . [She] vividly captures how her brilliant and ambitious protagonists charted the skies, and found personal fulfillment in triumphant discovery.
— The National Book Review
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A fascinating and inspiring tale of . . . female pioneers who have been shamefully overlooked.
— Real Simple
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Sobel shines a light on seven 19th- and 20th-century women astronomers who began as 'human computers,' interpreting data at Harvard Observatory, then went on to dazzle...An inspiring look at celestial pioneers.
— People
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"An astronomically large topic generously explored.
— O, The Oprah Magazine
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It takes a talented writer to interweave professional achievement with personal insight. By the time I finished The Glass Universe, Dava Sobel's wonderful, meticulous account, it had moved me to tears...Unforgettable.
— Sue Nelson, Nature
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"A compelling read and a welcome reminder that American women have long desired to reach for the stars.
— Bookpage
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Sensitive, exacting, and lit with the wonder of discovery.
— Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sixth Extinction
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This is intellectual history at its finest. Dava Sobel is extraordinarily accomplished at uncovering the hidden stories of science.
— Geraldine Brooks, New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Chord and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of March
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[Sobel] soars higher than ever before...[continuing] her streak of luminous science writing with this fascinating, witty, and most elegant history...The Glass Universe is a feast for those eager to absorb forgotten stories of resolute American women who expanded human knowledge.
— Booklist, Starred Review
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Sobel knows how to tell an engaging story...With grace, clarity, and a flair for characterization, [she] places these early women astronomers in the wider historical context of their field for the very first time.
— Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
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[The Planets] lets us fall in love with the heavens all over again.
— The New York Times Book Review
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[Sobel] has outdone her extraordinary talent for keeping readers enthralled. . . . A splendid and enticing book.
— San Francisco Chronicle
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An incantatory serenade to the Solar System.
— Entertainment Weekly
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Sobel is a master storyteller. . . . She brings a great scientist to life.
— The New York Times Book Review
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This is a gem of a book.
— The New York Times
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A simple tale, brilliantly told.
— The Washington Post
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Ms. Sobel is an elegant stylist, a riveting and efficient storyteller, a writer who can bring the dustiest of subjects to full-blooded life.
— The New York Times
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Lively, inventive . . . a masterly specimen of close-range cultural history.
— The Wall Street Journal
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“This is intellectual history at its finest.”
— Geraldine Brooks, New York Times bestselling author
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“An inspiring look at celestial pioneers.”
— People magazine
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“A joy to read.”
— Wall Street Journal
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“A peerless intellectual biography.”
— Economist (London)
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“An astronomically large topic generously explored.”
— O, The Oprah Magazine
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“Sobel makes hard science palatable for the general audience…[She] lucidly captures the intricate, interdependent constellation of people it took to unlock mysteries of the stars .”
— NPR