A Space Traveller's Guide To The Solar System

An enchanting and wildly entertaining tour of the Solar System

Your personal star trek. In this infectiously lively and informative book ... every aspect of this virtual journey is meticulously planned. Thompson is a natural communicator and one comes away with a profound sense of the wonders of space.

Evocative… We’re living in a golden age for space exploration, and in A Space Traveller’s Guide to the Solar System, Mark Thompson draws upon much of this knowledge to serve as our tour guide to the archipelago of planets and moons that share our Sun with us… Thompson discusses not just the characteristics of the worlds encountered, but also deals with the mechanics of spacecraft and what it takes to keep astronauts alive… Fascinating gems of information glitter from the text

Every step of the way in Mark Thompson’s virtual tour of the solar system there’s something new and bizarre and fascinating to discover… We’ll never go there ourselves, sadly.  But losing yourself in this lively, infectiously optimistic book is the next best thing

Mark is a wonderful promoter of Astronomy. He's tremendously knowledgeable about the geography of the night sky, guiding the experienced amateur and complete novice with equal skill and passion.

Mark Thompson brilliantly evokes the excitement of space travel.

It'll make you want to save the odd £20m for a flight to outer space.

Overall, Thompson’s book reads like a Lonely Planet guide to the solar system – light-hearted, yet rooted in scientific observations. Thompson’s writing is deeply charming and sometimes so matter-of-fact it’s hilarious. Though certainly written for a general audience, Thompson carefully bases the currently impossible journey on cutting-edge research. I highly recommend A space traveller’s guide to the solar system – once I had started, I simply couldn’t put it down.

Fascinating. I would definitely recommend this book.

Ideal for both Science Fiction writers and readers because it  looks at the current start of our Solar System and how to do a fifty  year tour. There is a lot that can be learnt from this book and those of you who  desire to do a little travelling will certainly find something here to  supplement your knowledge and imagination.

Mark Thompson is one of the presenters on the BBC Two award winning show Stargazing Live and the resident astronomer on ITV’s This Morning. When not gracing our television screens he is most likely writing about the sky, looking at it or flying through it (as a qualified pilot, not a human cannonball). He writes for a number of websites including Discovery News' Space pages and the Space Exploration Network along with a variety of other publications. He is also a regular on Radio Five Live. 
 
Born in Norfolk, Mark has had a fascination with all things in the sky ever since he was a small boy and is proud to be a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Have you ever dreamt of being an astronaut, travelling through the universe on your very own space mission? What would it be like to tour the Solar System, visiting the Sun and the planets, taking in everything from moons to asteroid belts along the way? What would you see, and how would you feel? What would you eat? How would you navigate and produce fuel? How would you survive? 
 
On this epic voyage of discovery, astronomer Mark Thompson takes you on that journey. From how to prepare for take-off and the experience of leaving Earth’s atmosphere, to the reality of living in the confines of a spaceship and the strange sensation of weightlessness, this is an adventure like no other. Suit up, strap in and enjoy the ride.

A Down to Earth Guide to the Cosmos

A comprehensive guide to the night sky for stargazers and amateur astronomers of all ages, from Stargazing LIVE presenter Mark Thompson

An admirably clear and concise guide to the wonders of the night sky, which will give anyone with a hankering to rise above the humdrum a toehold in the heavens. This is a book to get people started, whether keen amateurs or clueless professionals.

I was captivated... a thoroughly good read. I wholeheartedly recommend A Down To Earth Guide... as an entertaining, exciting read, but also as solid reference material for any amateur astronomer.

This book alone would be a good start for any budding Patrick Moore.

Mark Thompson’s book tackles what most imagine to be a very complicated topic, opening up a whole new area of our universe in the most simple and straightforward manner. The reader is given a fascinating insight into our night sky and anyone who reads it will find themselves standing outside staring into that dark and deep abyss.

A fantastic book that's perfect for both those interested in the science of the stars and those looking to do some observing themselves. Wonderfully written and accessible to astronomers of all ages and levels. This brilliant book is definitely worth picking up.

To the beginner, the star-filled night sky can seem mysterious and unfathomable. But with this book as a guide the awesome nature of the Cosmos is brought down to Earth. 
 
Over the course of twelve chapters Mark Thompson, one of the presenters on BBC One’s Stargazing Live and the resident astronomer on ITV’s The Alan Titchmarsh Show, will take you on a journey through space, tackling the key concepts of astronomy and unlocking the secrets of the sky. From the origins of our Universe to the ever evolving techniques used to explore deep space, A Down to Earth Guide to the Cosmos traces the journey of galactic discovery that has obsessed mankind for thousands of years. 
 
Accompanying the narrative, a series of monthly sky guides focus on the astronomical highlights visible at each given time of year, with handy charts to show you exactly what to look for and how to navigate around the sky at night. 
 
As fascinating as it is accessible, A Down to Earth Guide to the Cosmos is a must for anyone who gazes up and wishes they knew more about the final frontier...

Mark Thompson

[A] superb book… Thompson’s own experience in the media is brilliantly deployed throughout for insight… Thompson is a sharp and entertaining analyst of political language itself.

He writes restlessly and compellingly…  [An] intricately but also urgently argued book.

Thompson’s great virtue in this book is his steady and cool-headed historicism… Thompson is lucid, well read, level-headed and thoughtful. His range of reference is wide…He has a robust familiarity with the history of scholarship on rhetoric, and scatters his text with easeful and on-point references to Max Weber, Martin Heidegger and Marshall McLuhan… The detail is excellent. Enough Said’s particular glories, to this reader, are Thompson’s frequent and sensitive close readings of particular instances of public language.

[An] important study ... [Thompson] usually advances his case in cool, nuanced and forensic prose, but he is a blistering flame-thrower about the consequences of the digital revolution.

Ranging masterfully from Aristotle and Pericles to the age of Trump and Twitter, Mark Thompson makes the case for political rhetoric as a democratic art. This vividly-written, trenchant book is a much-needed antidote to the miasma of spin, incivility, and "truthiness" that afflicts politics today.

Michael Sandel, author of What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets

Thompson not only writes beautifully. He knows what he is talking about… [An] enjoyable, thought-provoking mix of manifesto, history, rhetorical analysis and autobiography.

Given Thompson's standing as a past leader of one of the world's dominant news organizations and the current head of another, what he thinks about the interactions among politicians, citizens and the press is by definition important.

An ambitious book… The book is at its most persuasive when it grapples with the dilemmas of our time.

Thompson uses his unique vantage point … to assess the deterioration of political language and the current state of the media landscape. Thompson’s writing packs a high percentage of insights per page and his book manages to be an exemplary investigation, a history, an autopsy, a practical manual, and a cautionary tale all at once.

For the analysis – and the insights from a distinguished and experienced journalist and news executive – the book is well worth a read.

Enough Said has real value ... We may thank Mark Thompson for the story he has told.

This is a book well worth reading by students of writing, of Public Relations and of politics. It is also well worth the effort for anyone interested in politics and communication today. We get so used to our common-day phrases that we rarely stop to think what we are doing with them and what they are doing to us.  Thompson’s book is a worthy addition to any bookshelf. Enough Said!

An elegant and urgently relevant analysis of the nature of public discourse and political language.

[It offers] admirably direct and focused advice to his various audiences.

[Enough Said] is particularly resonant to its time and place, and its intellectual and emotional setting… Thompson provides a clear and persuasive commentary on the state of public discourse.

[It] is written with the flair of a journalist…and the rigour of an academic. He elegantly documents the battle for public language.

What’s gone wrong with the language of politics?

LONGLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE 2017 
 
How do we discuss serious ideas in the age of 24-hour news? What was rhetoric in the past and what should it be now? And what does Islamic State have in common with Donald Trump? 
 
We’ve never had more information or more opportunity to debate the issues of the day. Yet the relationship between politicians, the media and the public is characterised by suspicion, mistrust and apathy. What has gone wrong? 
 
Enough Said reveals how political, social and technological change has transformed our political landscape – and how we talk about the issues that affect us all. Political rhetoric has become stale and the mistrust of politicians has made voters flock to populists who promise authenticity, honesty and truth instead of spin, evasiveness and lies. 
 
Featuring Ronald Reagan and Sarah Palin, Tony Blair and George Osborne, Silvio Berlusconi and many more star performers, Enough Said shows how public language is losing its power, and how an ominous gap is opening between the governed and those who govern. The result of decades of first-hand experience of politics and media, this is an essential, brilliant diagnosis of what we should stop doing and what we should start doing in order to reinvigorate Western democracy.

Mark Thompson

Praise for Enough Said

[A] superb book… Thompson’s own experience in the media is brilliantly deployed throughout for insight… Thompson is a sharp and entertaining analyst of political language itself.

He writes restlessly and compellingly… [An] intricately but also urgently argued book.

Thompson’s great virtue in this book is his steady and cool-headed historicism… Thompson is lucid, well read, level-headed and thoughtful. His range of reference is wide…He has a robust familiarity with the h ...

[A] superb book… Thompson’s own experience in the media is brilliantly deployed throughout for insight… Thompson is a sharp and entertaining analyst of political language itself.

He writes restlessly and compellingly… [An] intricately but also urgently argued book.

Thompson’s great virtue in this book is his steady and cool-headed historicism… Thompson is lucid, well read, level-headed and thoughtful. His range of reference is wide…He has a robust familiarity with the h ...

[A] superb book… Thompson’s own experience in the media is brilliantly deployed throughout for insight… Thompson is a sharp and entertaining analyst of political language itself.

He writes restlessly and compellingly… [An] intricately but also urgently argued book.

Thompson’s great virtue in this book is his steady and cool-headed historicism… Thompson is lucid, well read, level-headed and thoughtful. His range of reference is wide…He has a robust familiarity with the h ...

Books by Mark Thompson

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