Are you feeling drawn to witness the Total Solar Eclipse on August 21, 2017? Do you want to get the most out of this once-in-a-lifetime event? The third edition of ECLIPSE gives you all the information you need to prepare for an amazing experience of “total awe.” Bryan Brewer’s enduring classic – now updated with maps and details for the 2017 event – takes you on a grand, full-color pictorial tour of the history and science of eclipses. Discover how these rare and dramatic celestial events have influenced culture throughout the ages, from Stonehenge and ancient Egypt to Shakespeare and Mark Twain. Follow the sagas of scientists who traveled the globe to glimpse precious minutes of totality to study our solar system. Learn the simple secrets of how eclipses occur, and why they continue to rivet the human imagination. This background lays the foundation for your breathtaking appreciation of this beautiful spectacle on the day of the eclipse. This generously illustrated, full-color book includes a complete viewing guide, with tips on selecting a location and knowing what to look for. Over the centuries, observers have described the delicate solar corona – visible only during a total solar eclipse – as a sublime and otherworldly sight. Few ever get the chance to experience totality, and those who do never forget it. "Bryan Brewer's book is an indispensable guide, nicely covering all the impor tant aspects of solar eclipses. It is a masterful mixture of technical details, eclipses as they've been observed through history, eclipse lore found in the literature and mythology of many cultures, and, most importantly for many, how one should enjoy the upcoming gr eat American total solar eclipse of 21 August 2017." -- Woody Sullivan, Professor Emeritus, University of Washington Author of Cosmic Noise: A History of Early Radio Astronomy " ECLIPSE is a wonderfully entertaining introduction to Nature's greatest spectacle, rich in historical details and anecdotes while presenting satisfying explanations of how eclipses occur and why they've been of such great importance to science. Everyone reading this delightful work will surely fi nd themselves craving to see the great American total solar eclipse of 2017 with their own eyes." -- Fred Espenak, Bifrost Astronomical Observatory Author of Eclipse Bulletin: Total Solar Eclipse of 2017 August 21 I wrote the first edition of ECLIPSE to help people prepare for the total solar eclipse visible from the Pacific Northwest and Canada on Feb. 26, 1979. It was a classic case of "I couldn't find a good book on the subject so I wrote one!" I was very fortunate to have Frank Herbert, author of Dune , write the Foreword to the First Edition (which is included in this Third Edition). He wrote: "I like to think of Bryan Brewer's book as a map of the influences and rhythms contained in eclipses. When we look at the heavens, we look at a cosmic clock that has marked every evolutionary development upon this mundane surface. That clock is still ticking, as the eclipse reminds us." I released the Second Edition of ECLIPSE for the July 11, 1991 eclipse in Hawaii, where I served as eclipse expert at the Bishop Museum and the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel. In the following decade I led eclipse tours to Brazil (1994), the Caribbean (1998), and Germany (1999). Viewing the solar corona is an unforgettably exquisite experience, and I am excited that millions of Americans will get the chance to see it on August 21, 2017. I have updated the Third Edition with more than a hundred full color photos, illustrations, and maps for this event. Reading my book will help you understand the history, science, and observation of eclipses, giving you the foundation to more fully appreciate this truly cosmic event. Best wishes for clear skies!Bryan Brewer "Bryan Brewer's book is an indispensable guide, nicely covering all the important aspects of solar eclipses. It is a masterful mixture of technical details, eclipses as they've been observed through history, eclipse lore found in the literature and mythology of many cultures, and, most importantly for many, how one should enjoy the upcoming great American total solar eclipse of 21 August 2017."-- Woody Sullivan , Professor Emeritus of Astronomy and History of Science, University of Washington, Author of Cosmic Noise: A History of Early Radio Astronomy " ECLIPSE is a wonderfully entertaining introduction to Nature s greatest spectacle, rich in historical details and anecdotes while presenting satisfying explanations of how eclipses occur and why they've been of such great importance to science. Everyone reading this delightful work will surely find themselves craving to see the great American total solar eclipse of 2017 with their own eyes."-- Fred Espenak , Bifrost Astronomical Observatory, Author of Eclipse Bulletin: Total Solar Eclipse of 2017 August 21