Chasing the Sun: The Epic Story of the Star That Gives Us Life

In the grand tradition of the scholar-adventurer, acclaimed author Richard Cohen draws on more than seven years of research and takes us around the world to illuminate our relationship with the star that gives us life. As he soon discovers, the Sun is present everywhere--in mythology, language, religion, politics, sciences, art, literature, and medicine, even in the ocean's depths. He reports from locations in eighteen different countries, including the Novolazarevskaya science station in Antarctica (the coldest place on Earth); the Arizona desert (the sunniest); the Pope's observatory-cum-fortress outside Rome (possibly the least accessible); and the crest of Mount Fuji, where he welcomes the sunrise on the longest day of the year. In this splendidly illustrated volume packed with captivating facts, extraordinary myths, and surprising anecdotes, Cohen not only explains the star that so inspires us, but shows how multifaceted our relationship with it has been--and continues to be.