"This book follows the observation of, opinions about, and fascination with the planet Venus from ancient civilizations to contemporary explorations involving robotic probes that have flown past, entered orbit around, landed on, and even launched balloons from the Earth-sized planet. Expert scientists Sheehan and Limaye note that the first named surface feature of Venus honors a male scientist, but all others have been and must henceforth be named after women from history or myth. Some scientists have thought Venus was all wet: a French zoologist speculated that it was inhabited by frogs the size of cows, while a Nobel Prize-winning chemist imagined Venus inhabited mostly by plants. Now we know its surface is hot enough to melt lead and that sulfuric acid rains down. A very interesting and clear account. Highly recommended.".