A penetrating, mesmerizing biography of a scientific icon Carl Sagan was one of the most celebrated scientists of this century-the handsome and alluring visionary who inspired a generation to look to the heavens and beyond. His life was both an intellectual feast and an emotional rollercoaster. Based on interviews with Sagan's family and friends, including his widow, Ann Druyan; his first wife, acclaimed scientist Lynn Margulis; and his three sons,...

The story of free African American Benjamin Banneker, who, despite growing up in a time of slavery, pushed through to make his dream of being an astronomer come true.

A biography of the Afro-American farmer and self-taught mathematician, astronomer, and surveyor for the new capital city of the United States in 1791, who also calculated a successful almanac notable for its preciseness.

"As a child, Maria Mitchell longed to see beyond her little island of Nantucket. With help from her father, she discovered that, if you knew how to read them, the stars could tell you where you were -- and where you needed to go. Maria spent hours on the roof of her house scanning the sky -- finding constellations, nebulae, meteors, double stars. When the King of Denmark offered a prize to the first person to find a new comet, she did just that. In...

The fascinating autobiography of Canadian-American astronomer and mathematician Simon Newcomb.

"A picture book biography of Nancy Grace Roman, the astronomer who overcame obstacles such as weakening eyesight and teachers who did not believe astronomy was an appropriate career for a woman to lead the NASA team to build the Hubble Space Telescope. This is the empowering story of a female scientist's triumphs at a time when society discouraged women from pursuing scientific careers. It is also the story of an important milestone in the field of...

Describes the life and accomplishments of Benjamin Banneker in the fields of science and architecture, as well as his impact as one of the pioneers in promoting equality.

A career biography of a celebrity scientist who has brought astronomy to books, magazines, and television, as well as to his Cornell University classroom.