Still As Bright: An Illuminating History of the Moon, from Antiquity to Tomorrow
Pegasus, 2024
Agent: Elise Capron
An immersive exploration of the nightly presence that has captured our imagination for the entirety of human history.
"When the Moon rises between buildings or over trees, it’s not just a beautiful light: It’s an archive of human longing, fear and adventure. The Moon is more than a rock. It’s a story.”
In the luminously told Still As Bright, the story of the Moon traverses time and space, rendering a range of human experiences—from the beliefs of ancient cultures to the science of Galileo’s telescopic discoveries, from the obsessions of colorful 19th century “selenographers” to the astronauts of Apollo and, now, Artemis.
Still As Bright also traces Cokinos's own lunar pilgrimage. With his backyard telescope, he explores the surface of the Moon, while rooted in places both domestic and wild, and this award-winning poet and writer rediscovers feelings of solace, love and wonder in the midst of loss and change.
Simultaneously steeped in rigorous cultural and scientific history, as well as memoir, Still As Bright is a thoughtful, deeply moving, evergreen natural history. It takes readers on a lyrical journey that spans the human understanding of our closest celestial neighbor, whose multi-faceted appeal has worked on witches, scientists, poets, engineers and even billionaires.
Still As Bright is a must-read for anyone who has ever looked up into the night sky in awe and wonder. Readers will never look at the Moon the same way again.
Reviews:
“An award-winning author takes a close and fascinating look at our cosmic neighbor. Writing with a clear, poetic voice, Cokinos shows how the story of the Moon is also a story of humanity.”
-- Kirkus Reviews, starred
"Chris Cokinos pulls even the most adamant earth lover's gaze upward to the moon, to discover all it has reflected through time. Sunlight is the least of it. Instead we find our own earthly projections, our hopes, flaws, discoveries, and yearnings. You'll never see the moon the same."
-- Meera Subramanian, author of A River Runs Again
"Still as Bright is a mesmerizing masterpiece that instills a profound sense of wonder and respect for the Moon. Its blend of poetic storytelling and scientific insights ensures an unforgettable reading experience. Whether you are passionate about space exploration or our place in the universe or simply captivated by our Moon's allure, today and through the ages, this book deserves a place on your bookshelf."
-- James R. Hansen, New York Times Best Selling Author of First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong
"It's rare for a book to turn science into lyricism, to weave between past and present seamlessly, and to transform personal history into a universal meditation. Still As Bright accomplishes all three, an even rarer feat. In this awe-inspiring exploration of what the Moon has meant to Earth and its people, Cokinos draws the two celestial bodies into philosophical, cultural, emotional, and scientific orbit around each other, mirroring in his text their mutual motion in the cosmos."
-- Sarah Scoles, author of They Are Already Here
“The moon is a strangely challenging subject, but Christopher Cokinos does a wonderful job revealing both the oldest and latest lunar news and providing insight into the swirl of controversial new activity. People will soon be back on the moon and Still As Bright provides a better grasp on the true significance of this. This is also a poetic narrative of moonlit fascination that is a delight to read.”
-- Kim Stanley Robinson, author of The Ministry for the Future and The High Sierra: A Love Story
“Cokinos has a way of inviting us to enter new worlds while transporting us to thoughts we haven’t yet had. It’s action and meditation in balance: by the end, we know ourselves better than we did. Still as Bright is going to be remembered as a masterpiece of ecological and philosophical exploration, taking its place beside the works of Terry Tempest Williams and Barry Lopez, Robert McFarlane and Annie Dillard.”
-- Michael Paterniti, National Magazine Award Winner and author of The Telling Room and Driving Mr. Albert
“Still as Bright showcases Cokinos’s peerless talent for braiding personal experience with epic scientific adventure—and in the process, conjures an alchemy of love, heartache, mystery, and wonder. This rumination on the Moon’s place in human affairs is filled with surprise and insight enough to fill the Sea of Rains."
-- Earl Swift, best-selling author of Chesapeake Requiem