No One May Ever Have the Same Knowledge Again: Letters to Mt. Wilson Observatory, 1915 by Sarah SimonsMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
I was drawn to the curious collection of letters by it being reference in House of Leaves. However, the earnest ramblings of cranks sent off to astronomers decades ago I found ultimately sad and tiresome. These range from the revealed cosmology of Alice May Williams, tormented and sincere in New Zealand, to published spiritualist May Barnard Wiltse. Some of the confused minds merely grappled with astronomy 101 and tried to tease out errors with drawings and logic. The most moving missive is that of American painter Frederick K. Detwiller detailing his paintings and experience as a witness in Haverstraw, NY of the total solar eclipse of January 24, 1925. Unfortunately, while the book includes pictures of the astronomers and their gear, we do not get to see Detwiller's art.
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