Extraterrestrial Life Debate, 1750-1900

This Dover edition is an unabridged, slightly corrected republication of the work originally published by Cambridge University Press in 1986. Crowe (philosophy of science, U. of Notre Dame) considers the testimony of astronomers such as Herschel, Bode, Lalande, and Flammarion; French philosophes Rousseau and Voltaire; American patriot Thomas Paine; Scots churchman Thomas Chalmers; and a host of other scientists, philosophers, and religious leaders. The book ends with the 19th-century controversy over canals on Mars. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)