Ask the Author: David Baron
Answered Questions (2)
David Baron
Thanks for getting in touch. Your trip to South America sounds great. I too swam with the hammerheads in the Galapagos, years ago, and I'm not sure I'd do it again. That was one of the scariest experiences of my life! I do love the Galapagos, though, and the Andes are spectacular. I hope to get back to South America for the July 2, 2019, total eclipse. In the meantime, I'm off to Asia. I'll be spending the holidays this year in Vietnam. Happy travels, and happy reading!
David Baron
The origins of AMERICAN ECLIPSE stretch back nineteen years.
In February 1998, I witnessed my first total solar eclipse—in Aruba—and was spellbound. Standing beneath the sun’s glorious corona proved magical, and I vowed to repeat the experience. Indeed, since then I have continued to stalk eclipses—across Europe, Australia, and Asia.
I also resolved back in 1998 that I would write a book about eclipses, but not right away. Even as a rookie eclipse chaser, I knew that the grandest eclipse of our era would occur on August 21, 2017, when the moon’s shadow will, for the first time in 99 years, traverse the entire breadth of the continental United States. It seemed obvious that the summer of 2017 offered the right opportunity to release my book, so I put the project on hold for more than a decade.
In 2011, I finally got down to work and started hunting for a dramatic eclipse-related tale. I soon settled on the forgotten story of the great American eclipse of 1878, which crossed the nation’s Wild West. Thank goodness I started my research well in advance of publication. Digging up archival documents and reconstructing this historical tale proved a gargantuan, though enjoyable, task.
In February 1998, I witnessed my first total solar eclipse—in Aruba—and was spellbound. Standing beneath the sun’s glorious corona proved magical, and I vowed to repeat the experience. Indeed, since then I have continued to stalk eclipses—across Europe, Australia, and Asia.
I also resolved back in 1998 that I would write a book about eclipses, but not right away. Even as a rookie eclipse chaser, I knew that the grandest eclipse of our era would occur on August 21, 2017, when the moon’s shadow will, for the first time in 99 years, traverse the entire breadth of the continental United States. It seemed obvious that the summer of 2017 offered the right opportunity to release my book, so I put the project on hold for more than a decade.
In 2011, I finally got down to work and started hunting for a dramatic eclipse-related tale. I soon settled on the forgotten story of the great American eclipse of 1878, which crossed the nation’s Wild West. Thank goodness I started my research well in advance of publication. Digging up archival documents and reconstructing this historical tale proved a gargantuan, though enjoyable, task.
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