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The Planets: A Cosmic Pastoral
“Stunning . . . it is spectacularly good poetry, clear, lyrical and soaring . . . One of the triumphs of Ackerman’s pastoral is the demonstration of how closely compatible planetary exploration and poetry, science and art really are.” —Carl Sagan, The New Republic
From Marginalian Editions comes a gorgeous reissue of celebrated poet and naturalist Diane Ackerman’s a soaring ode to our solar system, planet to planet, blending science and imagination, astronomy and cosmology, as well as fantasy, satire, myth, and reflection.
First published in 1973, The A Cosmic Pastoral introduced not only a splendid new poet but a whole new adventure in poetry. With bravura style, unbridled imagination, and a connoisseur's eye for precise scientific detail, Diane Ackerman’s debut brought us an unforgettable ode to each planet in our solar system, not to mention the moon, the comet Kohoutek, and the asteroid belt, as well as strange voyages to the stars, the bottom of the sea, through the human body, and into the mind.
Diane Ackerman herself “I’ve always been baffled by people who write about nature only in terms of, say, junipers and cornfields, eschewing all things so-called ‘scientific,’ as if science were, per se, the spoil-sport of feeling. So wonderless a view of nature really doesn’t appeal to me.” The Planets is a rare fusion of art and science—one of the great poetic works of cosmic imagination.
From Marginalian Editions comes a gorgeous reissue of celebrated poet and naturalist Diane Ackerman’s a soaring ode to our solar system, planet to planet, blending science and imagination, astronomy and cosmology, as well as fantasy, satire, myth, and reflection.
First published in 1973, The A Cosmic Pastoral introduced not only a splendid new poet but a whole new adventure in poetry. With bravura style, unbridled imagination, and a connoisseur's eye for precise scientific detail, Diane Ackerman’s debut brought us an unforgettable ode to each planet in our solar system, not to mention the moon, the comet Kohoutek, and the asteroid belt, as well as strange voyages to the stars, the bottom of the sea, through the human body, and into the mind.
Diane Ackerman herself “I’ve always been baffled by people who write about nature only in terms of, say, junipers and cornfields, eschewing all things so-called ‘scientific,’ as if science were, per se, the spoil-sport of feeling. So wonderless a view of nature really doesn’t appeal to me.” The Planets is a rare fusion of art and science—one of the great poetic works of cosmic imagination.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1976
About the author
Diane Ackerman
64 books1,146 followersDiane Ackerman has been the finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction in addition to many other awards and recognitions for her work, which include the bestsellers The Zookeeper’s Wife and A Natural History of the Senses.
The Zookeeper’s Wife, a little known true story of WWII, became a New York Times bestseller, and received the Orion Book Award, which honored it as, "a groundbreaking work of nonfiction." A movie of The Zookeeper’s Wife, starring Jessica Chastain and Daniel Brühl, releases in theaters March 31st, 2017 from Focus Features.
She lives with her husband Paul West in Ithaca, New York.
The Zookeeper’s Wife, a little known true story of WWII, became a New York Times bestseller, and received the Orion Book Award, which honored it as, "a groundbreaking work of nonfiction." A movie of The Zookeeper’s Wife, starring Jessica Chastain and Daniel Brühl, releases in theaters March 31st, 2017 from Focus Features.
She lives with her husband Paul West in Ithaca, New York.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
May 15, 2026
Wow, wow, wow; this was absolutely stunning! Ackerman truly delivered an epic waltz through the solar system with poetic and scholarly precision! Though the middle of the book is more painterly and slows a bit, I didn’t mind the change in perspective or pace at all because the voice was IMMACULATE! “Pluto” alone makes this an inarguable five star collection for me! “My need to know yammers / like a wild thing in its den.” Like, come on?! Beautiful words and evocative phrasing throughout. A cult classic for MFA divas who almost got science PhDs instead!
September 21, 2026
4.5 stars
At long last! A poetry collection I thoroughly enjoyed!!
Specific things I liked (and, as a note to self, should seek out in future collections)
- Strong theming (space is just cool, you know?)
- Longer poems broken into sections
- Interesting formatting (e.g. I had to turn my book sideways to read the Uranus section)
- Vivid imagery
- Words that sound nice together even if/when I don't know what they mean
Maybe this is a one off phenomenon, but it would be cool if I could find other poetry that made me feel the way this book did
At long last! A poetry collection I thoroughly enjoyed!!
Specific things I liked (and, as a note to self, should seek out in future collections)
- Strong theming (space is just cool, you know?)
- Longer poems broken into sections
- Interesting formatting (e.g. I had to turn my book sideways to read the Uranus section)
- Vivid imagery
- Words that sound nice together even if/when I don't know what they mean
Maybe this is a one off phenomenon, but it would be cool if I could find other poetry that made me feel the way this book did
August 13, 2026
"one day we'll browse in the stacks of other galaxies"
I'm not sure what I expected, but it wasn't this. Often beautiful, sometimes rambling, frequently strange, Planets was an intense poetic journey. I think I will have to return to these poems many times.
I'm not sure what I expected, but it wasn't this. Often beautiful, sometimes rambling, frequently strange, Planets was an intense poetic journey. I think I will have to return to these poems many times.
February 20, 2013
Perfection. Going to read it again alongside the Notes section in the back.
March 10, 2026
4.5 stars.
Did I always understand the science or even the vocabulary, even with the notes and glossary? Nope. But there was something about the poems in The Planets that I could feel vibrating around inside my chest, this sense of wonder and at times bewilderment when faced with the sheer scope of our universe—and our smallness in it. Also, shout-out to Pluto: you'll always and forever be a planet in my heart.
Did I always understand the science or even the vocabulary, even with the notes and glossary? Nope. But there was something about the poems in The Planets that I could feel vibrating around inside my chest, this sense of wonder and at times bewilderment when faced with the sheer scope of our universe—and our smallness in it. Also, shout-out to Pluto: you'll always and forever be a planet in my heart.
Luckily, a species of mind has evolved to be the weight-bearer of wonder: the poet.
I'm young as I write this and green,
and yet in my lifetime we'll never
sail beyond Pluto, or cut time
on the bias in a black hole in space,
even leave the twirl of woodash
that's our Milky Way.
March 12, 2015
An interesting take on poetry; a collection of poems about the Solar System, especially the planets. Ackerman has a gift for translating the science of astronomy to more poetic terms, has some beautiful turns of phrase, and makes some surprising observations and comparisons. Also included is a poetic play, “Uranus” starring Isaac Newton, William Herschel, Edmond Halley, et al, very clever. I may have to put this one on my real-world bookshelf if it's not too difficult to acquire.
December 4, 2008
I have a very early copy, marked up in green ink (possibly hers?) - She worked with Carl Sagan on these poems to keep the science as true as her artistry.
Amazing!
Amazing!
August 17, 2022
Thoroughly enjoyed and grateful my local library had a copy in the reference section for me to read because I couldn’t find it anywhere else for less than $800.
Loved the scientific fact that supported this poetry-first collection that trailed through our solar system, planet by planet. The journey of the book as a whole lent itself well to the way we view the planets, their order, what we knew about them in 1975 when this was published… I particular found the transition from Mercury and Venus to Earth quite grounding, literally, as Ackerman brings the reader home with her words, then flings us out again into space. The ending, Pluto, was particularly beautiful and devastating.
Loved the scientific fact that supported this poetry-first collection that trailed through our solar system, planet by planet. The journey of the book as a whole lent itself well to the way we view the planets, their order, what we knew about them in 1975 when this was published… I particular found the transition from Mercury and Venus to Earth quite grounding, literally, as Ackerman brings the reader home with her words, then flings us out again into space. The ending, Pluto, was particularly beautiful and devastating.
July 4, 2026
interesting scientific analogies but i wasn't a huge fan of the earth poem which I think took a larger portion of the book. wasn't my favorite, though a few lines that were interesting: "At night I lie awake / in the ruthless" "Unspoken, / knowing that planets come to life, bloom, and die away, / like day-lilies opening / one after another / in every nook and cranny of the Universe, / but I will never see them"
October 6, 2026
I don’t read a ton of contemporary poetry, and I liked some parts of this better than others, but a lot of it captured the natural world and space very compellingly. The language was usually striking but overly flowery at times. I’m glad I was lent this book and definitely enjoyed it, especially as a unique format for science communication. I’ll definitely be putting more of Ackerman’s work on my to-read list, but most likely essays instead of more poetry (at least initially).
May 14, 2026
This was interesting
May 25, 2026
It was interesting and had some beautiful imagery. It also had some entertaining moments. But a lot of the time it felt too wordy and I felt very confused a lot of the time.
July 15, 2026
Not really where my heart is right now, but interesting and ambitious.
October 12, 2026
What an absolute joy and experience this is to read, particularly for thinkers and ponderers who love to marry their fascination with the unchanging scientific truth and the swirling mystery of the human condition, and consciousness. When I picked up this book, I thought, what could be a better combination than space and poetry?
How right I was. Ackerman flies us through the glittering cosmos, characterizing the hypothetical worlds that could exist on planets that often feel like large, omnipresent celestial beings that will outlive us all. It’s the perfect exploration of what it feels like to study the universe. The initial, unbridled fascination. The desire to know more, lead by a curiosity as intense and unchecked as a first love. The existentialism, the reality of facing the complete unknown. The ultimate finality of a black hole. The reckoning that we don’t even know what we don’t know. The inevitable: we are the universe studying itself, and therefore we always look to the universe to ponder ourselves. We’re related to it, we come from it.
“How can any system
observe itself?”
That question governs a large part of this exploration. Because The Planets does truly feel like an exploration, far more than a book of verses and rhymes.
Despite the intellectually extravagant journey through the solar system, my favorite part was the inevitable love for Earth. The fact that the speaker admits she can hardly convey her appreciation, her love of our planet and our home. It’s a celebration of life in our solar system, of everything we are.
This collection of cosmic music is really so inspirational, as someone who writes poetry. It sort of brought me out of a bit of a rut in reading and writing. For those who love to spend their time thinking, those who are unable to cease seeking knowledge and unquenched in their pursuit of self-discovery, I recommend this a thousand times over.
“My need to know yammers
like a wild thing in its den.”
How right I was. Ackerman flies us through the glittering cosmos, characterizing the hypothetical worlds that could exist on planets that often feel like large, omnipresent celestial beings that will outlive us all. It’s the perfect exploration of what it feels like to study the universe. The initial, unbridled fascination. The desire to know more, lead by a curiosity as intense and unchecked as a first love. The existentialism, the reality of facing the complete unknown. The ultimate finality of a black hole. The reckoning that we don’t even know what we don’t know. The inevitable: we are the universe studying itself, and therefore we always look to the universe to ponder ourselves. We’re related to it, we come from it.
“How can any system
observe itself?”
That question governs a large part of this exploration. Because The Planets does truly feel like an exploration, far more than a book of verses and rhymes.
Despite the intellectually extravagant journey through the solar system, my favorite part was the inevitable love for Earth. The fact that the speaker admits she can hardly convey her appreciation, her love of our planet and our home. It’s a celebration of life in our solar system, of everything we are.
This collection of cosmic music is really so inspirational, as someone who writes poetry. It sort of brought me out of a bit of a rut in reading and writing. For those who love to spend their time thinking, those who are unable to cease seeking knowledge and unquenched in their pursuit of self-discovery, I recommend this a thousand times over.
“My need to know yammers
like a wild thing in its den.”
October 18, 2026
Good poems in the theme of the planets and of the planets. Relevant references. Would only like more descriptive lines of each planet as beyond mars it feels like it gets metaphorical.
May 2, 2026
I love the planets, the solar system and how they make me feel both small and large. I love poetry too, especially when I feel like I understand it, and it does the same things. A combo of the two! I heard about this book of poems a few years ago but was unable to get my hands on a copy and suddenly the wonderful Ms Popova had a hand (the hand?) in getting it republished.
As usual, in books of poems, there was plenty here that I read and then scratched my head. Plenty too that went right through me to a place we can sometimes get to, to be big and small and all the things.
Here are a couple of excerpts:
From ‘Diffraction’ (for Carl Sagan)
Knee-deep in the cosmic overwhelm,
I'm stricken by the ricochet wonder of it all: the plain
everythingness of everything, in cahoots
That with the everythingness of everything else.
From ‘Earth IV. Inventory’
Imagine, we live in a world
so riotously packed
with buzz, bloom, burn and fidget,
we actually tend
To find Quiet freakish,
Calm, ominous, prolonged
Stillness, death-defying.
Why, you’d think
one would never cotton
to anything, never grow
bored, not succumb to habit,
but only craze slowly
from terminal surprise.
As usual, in books of poems, there was plenty here that I read and then scratched my head. Plenty too that went right through me to a place we can sometimes get to, to be big and small and all the things.
Here are a couple of excerpts:
From ‘Diffraction’ (for Carl Sagan)
Knee-deep in the cosmic overwhelm,
I'm stricken by the ricochet wonder of it all: the plain
everythingness of everything, in cahoots
That with the everythingness of everything else.
From ‘Earth IV. Inventory’
Imagine, we live in a world
so riotously packed
with buzz, bloom, burn and fidget,
we actually tend
To find Quiet freakish,
Calm, ominous, prolonged
Stillness, death-defying.
Why, you’d think
one would never cotton
to anything, never grow
bored, not succumb to habit,
but only craze slowly
from terminal surprise.
Read
March 16, 2026It is appropriate that The Planetary Society choose the book for its Book Club March selection. The narrator wrote “Mentored by Carl Sagan, Diane created a series of deeply insightful, wonderfully entertaining poems devoted to the worlds of our solar system. "One of the triumphs of Ackerman's pastoral is the demonstration of how closely compatible planetary exploration and poetry, science and art really are."—Carl Sagan” Sagan was on of the founders of The Planetary Society 46 years ago.
Particularly enjoyed Uranus as I lived a few years in Salem, MA around the time the Witches Museum was founded, and I had just finished reading "How to Kill a Witch: The Patriarchy's Guide to Silencing Women" by Zoe Venditozzi and Claire Mitchell. I noticed that Acherman had written "The Zookeepers' Wife" describing how the Nazis devastated Warsaw—and the city's zoo along with it. Fascinating stories of living in wartime fear
Particularly enjoyed Uranus as I lived a few years in Salem, MA around the time the Witches Museum was founded, and I had just finished reading "How to Kill a Witch: The Patriarchy's Guide to Silencing Women" by Zoe Venditozzi and Claire Mitchell. I noticed that Acherman had written "The Zookeepers' Wife" describing how the Nazis devastated Warsaw—and the city's zoo along with it. Fascinating stories of living in wartime fear
February 3, 2009
I can't decide on a rating for this book. Either it is a less than 1 star because it did not move me the way Mary Oliver or Wendell Berry can; or it is a 5 because it is so unique and imaginative! It was written in the 70's when I was born, and I think scientists were just beginning to find out info about our solar system. So that must have been so exciting, to think of planets and possibilities, and her poems show a fantastic imagination. She is one of my favorite authors, her naturalist eye is sharp and funny, but I just can't get into her poetry...
April 18, 2026
This is a book of poetry. Now, I'm not generally a big poetry reader, but am interested in the planets and love the good work of Maria Popova, who reintroduced Diane Ackerman's poems from the 1970's into the world. These astronomical poems of each planets and a few extra celestial bodies drew me in, absorbed me in delicious language, giving pause and perhaps a prayerful attendance to cosmic relevance of our neighbors... and yes there is a poem about Earth.
April 16, 2015
I went into this expecting magic and was disappointed in finding mere admiration. I wanted the planets to feel alive of their own accord, not by the breath of their teller.
Ackerman's writing is exquisite and imaginative. You will certainly feel the depth of wonder and energy that went into these poems, but sadly they do not emit that same life.
Ackerman's writing is exquisite and imaginative. You will certainly feel the depth of wonder and energy that went into these poems, but sadly they do not emit that same life.
March 5, 2026
I love this collection of smart, beautiful, awe inspiring poems. I was so happy to see it republished because I wanted to give copies to two of my friends. I am, however, disappointed that the reprinting does not include the black and white photos of the planets which were in the original publication. I do love the new forward, but why no photos😢 Thank you Diane Ackerman for something so dazzling
March 17, 2026
I appreciate the effort (originally published in 1976) to have scientifcally accurate poems about the planets and universe. I just couldn't get into them at all. This is a me problem, I'm sure, poetry can be a struggle. But even for that, the poems here just didn't connect in any way for me.
April 24, 2016
I don't usually read poem books. It was OK.
Read
March 7, 2026r.i.p. Pluto
March 31, 2026
A Halley’s Comet of literary prowess.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews