Extraterrestrials: A Field Guide for Earthlings

Dickinson, Terence; Schaller, Adolf

ISBN 10: 0921820860 ISBN 13: 9780921820864

Publisher: Camden House Pub, 1994

Synopsis

What will they look like? That is the question addressed in this wonderfully illustrated book for "earthlings" who want to explore beyond the cardboard aliens of television science fiction to find out what science says about our cosmic cousins from other planet--if they exist.

Author Terence Dickinson, an acclaimed astronomy writer, examines t! he picture we have absorbed from TV and movies about creatures from other planets, from the friendly visitor inE.T. to the savage creature in Alien and the gaggle of other-worldly folk fromStar Trek and its clones. Dickinson then explains how the variety of environments in the universe could give rise to creature far more different from us than anything Hollywood's invented.

Through the talents of illustrator Adolf Schaller, one of the chief artists and Emmy-award winner from Carl Sagan'sCosmos television series, alien worlds come alive with plants, insects and animals never dreamed of before. Yet, Schaller's vision is based on sound assumptions about the gravity of each hypothetical planet, the type of star that it orbits and other factors that bring plausible alien environments to life. The book winds up with a look at "life as we don't know it," featuring creatures and entities that might have evolved from something other that carbon-based biology, the foundation of ! Earth life.

A unique blend of science and imagination, Extraterrestrials will compel anyone who has ever thought about what-and who-might be out there.

About this title

From the Publisher:

THE ALIENS! They're HERE!
"[Terence Dickinson] has just sold his book, 'Extra-terrestrials: A Field Guide for Earthlings', to Steven Spielberg's Dreamworks. The director of 'E.T.' wants to turn it into a movie called 'Alien Zoo'..." ------Toronto Star

"A unique blend of good science and vivid imagination, it provides a clear, concise summary of the 'natural history' of extraterrestrials, without sacrificing the wonder of the topic. It would be a perfect gift from a young person interested in science--but do read it yourself before you give it away!" ------The Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada

What will they look like? That is the question addressed in this wonderfully illustrated book for "earthlings" who want to explore beyond the cardboard aliens of television science fiction to find out what science says about our cosmic cousins from other planet--if they exist.

Author Terence Dickinson, an acclaimed astronomy writer, examines t! he picture we have absorbed from TV and movies about creatures from other planets, from the friendly visitor in "E.T." to the savage creature in "Alien" and the gaggle of other-worldly folk from "Star Trek" and its clones. Dickinson then explains how the variety of environments in the universe could give rise to creature far more different from us than anything Hollywood's invented.

Through the talents of illustrator Adolf Schaller, one of the chief artists and Emmy-award winner from Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" television series, alien worlds come alive with plants, insects and animals never dreamed of before. Yet, Schaller's vision is based on sound assumptions about the gravity of each hypothetical planet, the type of star that it orbits and other factors that bring plausible alien environments to life. The book winds up with a look at "life as we don't know it," featuring creatures and entities that might have evolved from so! mething other that carbon-based biology, the foundation of ! Earth life.

A unique blend of science and imagination, "Extraterrestrials" will compel anyone who has ever thought about what-and who-might be out there.

The best-selling author of "Nightwatch", "Exploring the Night Sky", "The Backyard Astronomer's Guide", "Exploring the Sky by Day", and "From Big Bang to Planet X", Terence Dickinson has received many national and international science awards including the New York Academy of Sciences Book of the Year Award and the Royal Canadian Institute's Sandford Fleming Medal. More than one million of his previous books are in print in three languages.

About the Author:

The best-selling author of "Nightwatch", "Exploring the Night Sky", "The Backyard Astronomer's Guide", "Exploring the Sky by Day", and "From Big Bang to Planet X",Terence Dickinson has received many national and international science awards including the New York Academy of Sciences Book of the Year Award and the Royal Canadian Institute's Sandford Fleming Medal. More than one million of his previous books are in print in three languages.

About this edition

• Publisher: Camden House Pub
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0921820860
• ISBN 13: 9780921820864
• Binding: Library Binding