Mars: owners’ workshop Manual

Mapping the Red Planet

Author: David M Harland Publisher: Haynes

Price: £22.99 / $36.95 Release date: Out now

Speaking of publishers being inextricably linked with quality, we’re yet to find a Haynes manual that hasn’t immediately transported us into, around or wherever its subject matter resides. The fact that they have yet again knocked it out of the park is all the more astonishing when you consider the tricky nature of it latest venture: Mars. From early theorising about the nature of the Red Planet and our attempts to uncover its secrets to its various fictional depictions and the on-going discussions regarding manned exhibitions, there is plenty to uncover and enjoy, accompanied by astonishing insights, jawdropping photography and attention to detail that we never tire of. Previous accounts on this subject have often focused more on what we don’t know rather than what we have discovered, but this book also celebrates what we have managed to achieve over the years. Sure, there’s a lot to take in, but if you have an interest in Mars – or space itself – then you need this.