VENUS

In the same large, square format as Simon's earlier books on other planets, a clear, concise text draws on the latest findings and the best of recent color photos. Venus has her special charms—the hottest planet in the solar system, covered with clouds of sulphuric acid, with bizarre surface details—all emerging from photos and radar maps taken from earlier Russian expeditions and NASA's Magellan spacecraft, which is still orbiting Venus. Our sister planet? Not even human siblings exhibit such diversity, and why this is so is an intriguing puzzle. Simultaneously published: Mercury, an equally fine contribution to science collections (though, like the planet itself, less bulky—only 24 pages). (Nonfiction. 9+)