Hodder lands astronomer Murdin's solar system book

Hodder & Stoughton has secured a new book by astronomer Professor Paul Murdin, The Secret Lives of Planets.

World rights were acquired by outgoing Hodder general non-fiction publisher Drummond Moir from James Wills of Watson, Little. It will be published in July 2019, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 landing on the moon..

The book will see Murdin draw on a lifetime’s knowledge to “reveal that the lives of the planets within our solar system, and their satellites, are every bit as rich and unpredictable as our own”. He will also tell tales of astronomical pioneers like Galileo and Neil Armstrong, alongside unsung heroes behind landmark scientific discoveries.

The publisher said: “Illuminating and brimming with wit and reverence, The Secret Lives of Planets is inspiring reading for anyone who has ever gazed up at the skies above and wondered about the worlds beyond. “

Murdin has been a research scientist, observatory administrator and science policy maker for the government and the Royal Astronomical Society, and is currently Emeritus Fellow at the Institute of Astronomy in the University of Cambridge. He has also been a broadcaster and commentator for the BBC and CNN. He co-discovered the first stellar black hole found in our galaxy, Cygnus X-1, and has been honoured by the Queen with an OBE.