Apollos Fire
by Sims, Michael
It?s the oldest story on Earth. You relive it every day. So much of our shared daily experience in the world is shaped by the sometimes dramatic, sometimes subtle effects of the Earth?s spin, its tilt on its axis, the alternation of light and darkness, the waxing and waning of the moon, the seemingly capricious growth of clouds. The ancient rhythm of the day and night was shaping life on Earth before there were even human beings to appreciate it. It rules our bodies and weather and calendars, and sets the tempo for our work and play. Each of us awakens each day to relive this primordial narrative. With his signature blend of science and poetry, history and mythology, Michael Sims serves as tour guide on an unforgettable journey through the wonders of an ordinary day, from dawn to nighttime. Long before we had the tools of knowledge to explain what we observed in the skies overhead, we built mythologies and folklore around these occurrences, immortalized them in poetry and art, created special places for them in our collective imagination and even our language. In Apollo?s Fire, Sims explores the celestial events that form our days, fusing lively explanations of these phenomena with a richly layered history of what they meant to us before we knew how they worked. He explains the colors of sunrise, the characteristics of shadow, the mysteries of twilight. Characters in this vital drama include Galileo watching sunrise on the moon, Eratosthenes measuring the Earth with a noontime shadow, and Edgar Allan Poe figuring out why the night sky is dark instead of glowing with the light of a million suns. Our story ranges from the movie High Noon to Darwin?s plant experiments, from The Time Machine to the afternoon rise in air pollution.In the witty and elegant style that has earned him the designation ?science raconteur,? Sims weaves a dazzling array of strands into a single tapestry of daily experience- and makes the oldest story on Earth new again.
Reviews
Review this book!
Available Copies
Apollo's Fire - A Day on Earth in Nature and Imagination
by Michael Sims
- Condition
- Used - Near Fine
- Jacket Condition
- Near Fine
- Edition
- First.
- Published
- 2007
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9780670063284
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Burlington, Ontario, CAN
- Item Price
-
$9.59
Show Details
Description:
Viking, 2007. First. . Hardcover. Near Fine/Near Fine. pp.296 with index. Through a blend of science and poetry, history and mythology the author gives us a tour guide of an ordinary day. clean tight copy but for black line top edge Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall
Item Price
$9.59
APOLLO'S FIRE
by Sims, Michael
- Condition
- Used - Very Good in Very Good dustjacket
- Edition
- First Edition
- Published
- 2007
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9780670063284
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Buffalo, Wyoming, USA
- Item Price
-
$17.50
Show Details
Description:
New York: Viking. Very Good in Very Good dustjacket. 2007. First Edition. Hardcover. 0670063282 . Book is in VG condition with bumping to spine ends, light rubbing to edges, mild soiling to boards else still bright and solid copy. Dust jacket in VG condition with small closed tear to bottom edge/front cover, light rubbing to edges, light… Read more about this item Item Price
$17.50
Apollo's Fire: A Day on Earth in Nature and Imagination
by Sims, Michael
- Condition
- Used - Fine copy in fine dust jacket
- Edition
- 1st
- Published
- 2007
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9780670063284
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Pittsford, New York, USA
- Item Price
-
$7.50
Show Details
Description:
New York: Viking. Fine copy in fine dust jacket. 2007. 1st. hardcover. 8vo, 296 pp., Remainder mark lower edge. . Item Price
$7.50
Apollo's Fire: A Day on Earth in Nature & Imagination
by Michael Sims
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- ISBN
- 9780670063284
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Item Price
-
$9.00
Show Details
Description:
Viking. Used - Very Good. 2007. Hardcover. Cloth, d.j. Some shelf-wear. Else clean copy. Very Good. (Subject: History of Science). Item Price
$9.00
Apollo's Fire : A Day on Earth in Nature and Imagination
by Sims, Michael
- Condition
- Used - Good
- ISBN
- 9780670063284
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Reno, Nevada, USA
- Item Price
-
$5.00
Show Details
Description:
Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Good. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Item Price
$5.00
Apollo's Fire: A Day On Earth In Nature & Imagination
by Michael Sims
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- ISBN
- 9780739493649
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Item Price
-
$6.00
Show Details
Description:
Viking. Used - Very Good. 2007. Paperback. Pbk. Some shelf-wear. Else clean copy. Very Good. Item Price
$6.00
Apollo's Fire
by Sims, Michael
- Condition
- Used - Collectible - Very Good/Very Good
- Edition
- First Printing
- Published
- 2007
- Binding
- Hard Cover
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
OCEANSIDE, California, USA
- Item Price
-
$34.95
Show Details
Description:
Viking. Collectible - Very Good/Very Good. 2007. First Printing. Hard Cover. (M484) . Item Price
$34.95
Apollo's Fire: A Day on Earth in Nature and Imagination
by Sims, Michael
- Condition
- Like New
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9780670063284
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
GORING BY SEA, West Sussex, GBR
- Item Price
-
$17.01
Show Details
Description:
Paperback. Like New. Item Price
$17.01
Apollo's Fire: A Journey Through the Extraordinary Wonders of an Ordinary Day
by Sims, Michael
- Condition
- Like New
- Published
- 2008-11-25
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9780143114413
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Fairfax Station, Virginia, USA
- Item Price
-
$10.99
Show Details
Description:
Penguin Books, 2008-11-25. Paperback. Like New. Item Price
$10.99
Apollo's Fire : A Journey Through the Extraordinary Wonders of an Ordinary Day
by Sims, Michael
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- ISBN
- 9780143114413
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Mishawaka, Indiana, USA
- Item Price
-
$12.00
Show Details
Description:
Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Very Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. Item Price
$12.00
Apollo's Fire: A Journey Through the Extraordinary Wonders of an Ordinary Day
by Michael Sims
- Condition
- Used: Good
- Published
- 2008-11-25
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9780143114413
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
HOUSTON, Texas, USA
- Item Price
-
$9.46
Show Details
Description:
Penguin (Non-Classics), 2008-11-25. Paperback. Used: Good. Item Price
$9.46
Apollo's Fire: A Journey Through the Extraordinary Wonders of an Ordinary Day
by Sims, Michael
- Condition
- New
- Published
- 2008-11-25
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9780143114413
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Fairfax Station, Virginia, USA
- Item Price
-
$11.76
Show Details
Description:
Penguin Books, 2008-11-25. Paperback. New. Item Price
$11.76
Apollo's Fire: A Day on Earth in Nature and Imagination
by Sims, Michael
- Condition
- New
- Published
- 2007-09-20
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9780670063284
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
San Diego, California, USA
- Item Price
-
$79.49
Show Details
Description:
Viking Adult, 2007-09-20. Hardcover. New. New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title! Item Price
$79.49
Apollo's Fire: A Journey Through the Extraordinary Wonders of an Ordinary Day
by Sims, Michael
- Condition
- New
- Published
- 2008-11-25
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9780143114413
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
San Diego, California, USA
- Item Price
-
$103.26
Show Details
Description:
Penguin Books, 2008-11-25. Paperback. New. New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title! Item Price
$103.26