The Moon: From Imagination to Exploration

by D.K. Publishing

The Moon has been an object of fascination for religions, cultures, and societies the world over since the dawn of humanity.

The Moon is a beautifully illustrated account of our lunar neighbour in all its guises: a guiding light in the night sky, the driver of oceanic tides and natural cycles, the subject of exhaustive scientific study, and an enduring influence in literature, art, and popular culture. Exploring theories for the Moon’s origins around 4.5 billion years ago, the book charts its influence on the calendar systems and mythologies of early societies, and its role in the invention of the telescope and the science-fiction genre. It tells the incredible story of the Cold War space race and the first Moon landings. Specially commissioned illustrations capture the Moon's phases and motions in vivid detail, while stunning photography and artifacts bring the rich history of lunar observation and exploration to life. The last chapter of the book features extensive coverage of NASA’s Artemis mission to return astronauts to the lunar landscape in 2026, paving the way for future missions to Mars. The book also includes a guide to observing the Moon, complete with annotated maps and profiles of key physical features such as Tycho Crater and the Sea of Tranquility.

Straddling science, culture, and history across the world, The Moon is a captivating and richly informative celebration.

Genres: Astronomy, Science, History, Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2025

About the author

Dorling Kindersley (DK) is a British multinational publishing company specializing in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 62 languages. It is part of Penguin Random House, a consumer publishing company jointly owned by Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA and Pearson PLC. Bertelsmann owns 53% of the company and Pearson owns 47%.

Established in 1974, DK publishes a range of titles in genres including travel (including Eyewitness Travel Guides), arts and crafts, business, history, cooking, gaming, gardening, health and fitness, natural history, parenting, science and reference. They also publish books for children, toddlers and babies, covering such topics as history, the human body, animals and activities, as well as licensed properties such as LEGO, Disney and DeLiSo, licensor of the toy Sophie la Girafe. DK has offices in New York, London, Munich, New Delhi, Toronto and Melbourne.

Source: Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Teo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not expect this book to be this JAM-PACKED with information. The moon topics in here range from theories of its conception, its composition, its relationship to earth, the history of space observation, cultural astronomy, space travel history, and what’s next in store for lunar exploration. I’m genuinely blown away with how much is talked about and how each subsection only consists of two pages, but you feel like you learn so much. There are lovely illustrations and pictures to accompany the writing, which really helps to put the facts into context (especially the math ones). There’s not much else I can say other than if you have any sort of interest in the moon, you need to pick this up immediately.

DK really coming through with these recent space publications (highly recommend The Mysteries of the Universe as well)!

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful and fascinating book that fully illuminates humanity’s obsessive fascination with the planet’s satellite companion.