Prof. R.G. Strom: "You have really written a great book. I hope it sells a million copies. There is mounting evidence that the Moon is still active, so you were right all along".
Maurice Collins: " I am thoroughly enjoying Secrets of the Moon. It is one of the best lunar books that I have read in a long time. It has opened my eyes to the possibilities of there being more volcanic processes at work on the Moon than I was aware of before. I especially liked the section on the origins of small craters and was impressed by the close resemblance of the Elegante crater in Mexico to a lunar crater. Elegante looks more lunar than Meteor Crater. Secrets of the Moon will be an essential volume in my lunar book collection. Also, your book has gotten a lot of likes on Social Media: 27 so far on my Facebook page and 13 more on a Facebook lunar group called "
Maurice Collins: "I'll re-read Secrets of the Moon as (there is) a lot to absorb, but I found it a very good survey of the Moon and it shows that there is still research to be done and has given me things to think about. It was good to have a brand new book out on the subject".
Prof. H. Pinkerton: "Congratulations on completing your splendid book. It has come at the right time, given the interest in developing manned stations there, and your insights will, I am sure, be welcomed by those in charge of such exciting projects"
Dr. Thorsteinn Saemundsson: " Secrets of the Moon is a new and ambitious piece of work with a catching title and I am impressed. We must hope that this book gets the attention it deserves and that the currently accepted view of the Moon's features will be revised".
Prof. James Head: "Secrets of the Moon (includes) lots of good ideas..."
Dr. R.J. Fryer: "I feel that your latest book, Secrets of the Moon, is a useful, comprehensive and good summary of a lifetime's work. Hopefully, it will have the effect that it deserves whilst the new lunar interest, due to the multinational landings and future plans, persists. I enjoyed reading it."
Owen Edwards: "I think that Secrets of the Moon is a very impressive feat!"
The carefully sequenced chapters take you through the early career of the author, and then on to puzzles about the Moon. Career paths are often lacking in scientific books, so this was welcome to see, especially given the experience gained by Fielder from interdisciplinary research, and from working with famous people such as Urey, Kuiper and Lovell. A read through this work should be hopefully inspire any wannabe early-career scientists.
Pioneering work on modelling crater formation is covered extensively. Lots of specific lunar formations are discussed too, such as Aristarchus, Aristillus, Copernicus, Rupes Recta, Mare Imbrium, Tychom and many more.
Perhaps a controversial topic, for some, is the books discussion about the Lunar Grid System which, although not discovered by Fielder, was extensively researched by him. This system has fallen out of favour since, as there are other explanations for the orientation of lineaments on the Moon, such as concentric rings from overlapping impact basins. However, this book shows that it may not be such a clear-cut case. Carefully laid arguments are presented, applied to old and new data. The book is good at making you stop and think whether currently accepted theories are correct.
Some readers may find the format a little unusual in that it has very short chapters, but this is made up for by there being 45 of them over 228 pages, plus an excellent glossary of terms at the end.
Secrets of the Moon teaches us to occasionally question current thinking about lunar geology, especially when statistical analysis shows us something that differs from what prevailing theories suggest. It also warns us not to assume that all craters are impact in origin, as a few circular structures heavily eroded ghost craters, or some very small formations could have endogenic origins, and this could affect age estimates of the lunar surface that rely upon counting small craterlets of impact origin. So, with the crewed return to the Moon in the near-term future, this book is very timely and packed with interesting ideas.
- Dr. Anthony Cook, Director of the Lunar Section of the BAA and Research Lecturer, Aberystwyth University, Journal of the British Astronomical Association, August 2023.
Prof. R.G. Strom: "You have really written a great book. I hope it sells a million copies. There is mounting evidence that the Moon is still active, so you were right all along".
Maurice Collins: " I am thoroughly enjoying Secrets of the Moon. It is one of the best lunar books that I have read in a long time. It has opened my eyes to the possibilities of there being more volcanic processes at work on the Moon than I was aware of before. I especially liked the section on the origins of small craters and was impressed by the close resemblance of the Elegante crater in Mexico to a lunar crater. Elegante looks more lunar than Meteor Crater. Secrets of the Moon will be an essential volume in my lunar book collection. Also, your book has gotten a lot of likes on Social Media: 27 so far on my Facebook page and 13 more on a Facebook lunar group called "
Maurice Collins: "I'll re-read Secrets of the Moon as (there is) a lot to absorb, but I found it a very good survey of the Moon and it shows that there is still research to be done and has given me things to think about. It was good to have a brand new book out on the subject".
Prof. H. Pinkerton: "Congratulations on completing your splendid book. It has come at the right time, given the interest in developing manned stations there, and your insights will, I am sure, be welcomed by those in charge of such exciting projects"
Dr. Thorsteinn Saemundsson: " Secrets of the Moon is a new and ambitious piece of work with a catching title and I am impressed. We must hope that this book gets the attention it deserves and that the currently accepted view of the Moon's features will be revised".
Prof. James Head: "Secrets of the Moon (includes) lots of good ideas..."
Dr. R.J. Fryer: "I feel that your latest book, Secrets of the Moon, is a useful, comprehensive and good summary of a lifetime's work. Hopefully, it will have the effect that it deserves whilst the new lunar interest, due to the multinational landings and future plans, persists. I enjoyed reading it."
Owen Edwards: "I think that Secrets of the Moon is a very impressive feat!"
