This was entertaining and I learned a lot about comets, but it’s not quite as advertised.

This isn’t the type of narrative nonfiction that I love, mostly because it feels more like a research dump at times and at other points it simply too repetitive to be a compelling and propulsive account.

The “comet madness” of 1910 was what I was excited to read about, and we do get a bit of the the folie deux in this, but mostly it’s a repetitive slog through dozens and dozens of accounts of how sensationalized newspaper accounts were convincing a certain segment of the population that they were definitely going to die when Halley’s Comet passed near earth. It’s pretty much the same story we hear about any sensational event around this time, largely focused on the fact that many newspapers would say absolutely anything to make a few extra bucks. Not exactly groundbreaking stuff, and we probably didn’t need so many examples of it here.

The astronomy included in this was quite good, and I did like the parts that are more about the science of comets and how their path might or might not affect the earth,. There are also a few brief forays into aeronautics, which I quite enjoyed.

This is worth reading if you like narrative science, though the writing isn’t the best and the purported concept behind the book is not quite as advertised.

Interesting look into mass hysteria in the nineteenth-century and how people have always thought the world was ending soon.

This was a somewhat interesting history of Halley's Comet. It was pretty entertaining to learn about the way that people reacted to seeing the comet in centuries past. Things that would seem silly to us today were taken so seriously back then. It's a fairly interesting look back on how humans have reacted to unknown events in the past.

Thanks to the author, I learned more on the subject, I'd personally wish to get a bit more of the writing, I am sure he could have elaborated more, as the writing style is pretty enjoyable, and, this is very personal, I really enjoy books more serious, less humor, but that is a very personal choice. Hysteria towards the unknown can be overconsuming, even a century after the events.

Demagogues and disreputable people pushing fear and terror to make money are not new. And people who are panicking tend to not make the most rational decisions when it comes to their future. "Comet insurance," crops not being planted, false "weather" prophets - just the worst charlatans taking advantage of the fear they gin up to get a few bucks. The tail of a comet will kill us all - or a vaccine against a disease that has killed millions is some overly complicated conspiracy. There's nothing new; we re-live history every day.

Goodrich packs a lot into a small book managing to pace the narrative fairly well while attempting to explain the hysteria around the 1910 appearance of Halley's comet. I wish I had more to say about this book but I read it quickly and nothing really stuck out to me, good or bad. I appreciated learning more about the topic but likely will not seek out more in this topic or by this author.

AMERICAN ESSENCE
Scientists, Charlatans, and Halley’s Comet
BY MARK LARDAS APRIL 6, 2023

or millennia, comets were believed to be harbingers of disaster and change. No one knew what they were. Their terror faded after Edmond Halley proved they were natural phenomena, following laws of physics. He predicted that a comet visible in 1682 would reappear in 1759. It was named Halley’s Comet when his prediction was realized.

“Comet Madness: How the 1910 Return of Halley’s Comet (Almost) Destroyed Civilization,” by Richard J. Goodrich, tells what happened during its 1910 return. It actually proved to be a study of the impact of the mainstream media, an intersection of science and superstition.

Scientists were excited by its return. Goodrich shows that no one completely understood what comets were as the 20th century opened. For astronomers, Halley’s Comet’s predictable return offered an unprecedented opportunity to explore comets’ mysteries.

The general public was equally interested. Their interest was served by the mass-market newspapers that had emerged since the 1835 Halley’s Comet appearance. These were fed by U.S. wire services with international reach. The Associated Press was the CNN of the day.

Unfortunately, the news media’s goal was less focused on dispassionate, balanced coverage than on maximizing sales. Then as now, if it bleeds it leads. The comet’s reappearance was exciting, but not exciting enough. Newspapers used creative editing and storytelling to add excitement.

Statements made by enthusiastic astronomers were selectively edited to become dire predictions. One example: The comet’s tail had cyanogen in it, and Earth was going to pass through the tail. The press ran stories predicting that everyone would die from cyanogen poisoning. While untrue, the press managed to get astronomers to fight each other over the claims, creating more controversy and selling more papers. Wire services invented stories about bizarre panic reactions: people conducting human sacrifices, crucifying themselves, and committing suicide due to fear of the comet.

Mark Twain and King Edward VII of England both died during the comet’s reappearance. Mark Twain even predicted his death. However, both were in failing health. The press blamed the comet, also blaming it for floods and extreme weather.

Yet Goodrich shows there were also real marvels. Astronomers learned much about comets, and millions were thrilled, lying on rooftops to see a wonder of nature. “Comet Madness” captures everything: the scientists and charlatans, the wonders and the fears elicited. Goodrich shows that science is never really settled, only refined over time. He wraps everything in an exciting, informative, and entertaining book.

“Comet Madness: How the 1910 Return of Halley’s Comet (Almost) Destroyed Civilization” by Richard J. Goodrich (Prometheus, February 2023).

This article was originally published in American Essence magazine.

I found Comet Madness to be a very interesting read. Rather than focusing on the scientific response, it focuses on the societal effect of news coverage of the the 1910 appearance of Harleys Comet. I found Goodrich's writing to be both interesting and informative.

*I received a review copy from the publisher through NetGalley

This book, though exhaustively researched, sets out to describe a remarkable phenomenon, the approach of Halley's Comet in 1910. My verdict on this account is mixed. Though I admire the author's research chops in recounting the public reaction, much of it reported in newspaper journalism, all in all the book is mildly disappointing. It's subtitle ("How the 1910 Return of Halley's Comet (Almost) Destroyed Civilization"). clearly overpromises... a marketing decision that will leave many readers, like me, feeling had. The book is not a nothing-burger...it's well written and informative, but a little overblown in style for the events it promises to describe.

First, it was the giant Chinese spy balloon hovering over the United States. Then, there were three UFOs shot down in North America. And, in Ukraine, there have been Russian spy balloons flying overhead. (This New York Times graphic is a super helpful summary of the different kinds of UFOs that have been spotted.) If you’ve been following this — and the ensuing social media panic — closely, may I suggest Comet Madness by Richard Goodrich.

In 1910, Halley’s Comet was set to return, a development that thrilled astronomers worldwide and set off a global panic that Armageddon was near. Newspaper editors, knowing that fear sells papers, clipped quotes from scientists, implying that as the Earth passed through the comet’s tail, humanity would die from the change in atmosphere. The constant headlines — and completely fabricated stories — drove dozens of Americans to commit suicide and countless more to spend months living in dread.

Comet Madness is a fascinating look at historical issues that we still struggle with today — media overhype, the tension between the scientific process and the need for headlines and, yes, not knowing what’s in the skies above us. It’s chock-full of fun historical tidbits (Mark Twain was born in 1835, when Halley’s comet had previously appeared and accurately predicted he would die with its return) and provides a peek into a historical period I knew nothing about.

Discovered by Royal Astronomer Edmund Halley in 1758, the celestial body was noted for its predictable perihelion, bringing it close to Earth each 75 years or so. Although it had been making this trip for eons, it was named after Halley as he was the one to formally trace its path and prove that the comet that has been seen for millenia was indeed the same one returning over and over. It last passed by us in 1986 and it will next stop by in 2061.

In 1910, the imminent appearance of Halley’s Comet set off an unusual collection of fears, theories, and superstitions. The most prevalent was some variation of a gas cloud as Earth passed through the tail of the comet. This gas might do any number of things, including wipe out all life on the planet.

The book focuses mainly on the media wars surrounding the statements of Camille Flammarion, the preeminent popular scientist of his day. He was based in Paris but his work was read throughout the world.

"Flammarion, although capable of calculation, possessed the heart of a poet. He was enthralled by the majesty of the heavens and believed that astronomy was a springboard for the imagination. He preferred speculation about what might be over the dry documentation of what was." ~Loc. 658

But like irresponsible news outlets in every era, greedy editors led with headlines that stoked panic. They took the scientific imaginings of what cyanogen gas might do, in certain circumstances, and turned them into doomsday predictions. It meant that Flammarion spent a good deal of time and ink trying to correct and clarify his analysis.

At times the book loses some momentum as it tracks the media battles. The more interesting sections highlight some of the odder reactions of everyday people. Ads were placed for submarine rides, suggesting people stay underwater for three days (with supplies, of course) until the gas dissipated. Snake oil salesmen sold comet pills that supposedly protected against cyanogen gas. Other enterprising people sold comet insurance…

"…policies that promised a cash payment of $500 ‘to the widow or children of the victim in case death is met through the comet striking the earth.’ Policyholders paid 25 cents a week to insure their lives. Although a sensible person might question the value of a policy that paid off only in the event of a world-destroying cataclysm, business was brisk." ~Loc. 2754

Spoiler alert, the world did not end in 1910, nor did it end in 1986. And while there will always be a small contingent of people who go for loony ideas but perhaps looking back we can learn from the past.

There was much I liked about this book. It was a fun read with some good humor. I found Goodrich to be a good storyteller with a conversational writing style. The discussion of the scientific method was very good and the science was well-explained. I also thought that the discussions of Flammarion were insightful. The closest thing to this story I lived through was Y2K so it was an interesting take. Overall, this is a great read. Thank you to Netglley and Rowman & Littlefield, Prometheus for the advance reader copy.

A fun and well written nonfiction to look forward to in 2023! The writing style was very readable, the subject matter interesting. The science wasn't too hard to understand for the lay person, and it kept me engaged the whole time.

This is not just a book about the most famous comet ever, although it is. This is not just a book that traces the development of scientific investigations into Halley's Comet, although it does. This is, at its base, a book about how media plays into, exacerbates, or just plain fabricates stories that play on the frail human psyche, and that play on them for a profit. Because if you think fake news and lies being presented as facts that "everyone knows" is a recent phenomenon, you're wrong (although richly displayed the last 6 years on our political stage). When Halley's Comet made its return trip into our part of the galaxy in 1910, the media twisted what scientists said about the event to sell more newspapers, and in the process, destroyed lives around the world. Mr. Goodrich traces how the return of the comet moved from an event of interest only to astronomers to a front-page story with headlines that screamed about the imminent destruction of the planet. He details how even respectable newspapers published stories lifting what the astronomers were saying out of context, or, in some cases, attributing complete lies to them. This may seem like an uninteresting historical anecdote, but these screaming lies caused panic around the globe. Mr. Goodrich quotes extensively what the scientists were saying versus what the newspapers reported, and documents instances where people, convinced that the end of the world was coming in May 1910, sold everything they owned to enjoy their last few days in luxury. But worse then that, he provides details on people who were driven so distraught at the published news articles that the world was ending that they killed themselves rather than face being poisoned by gases from the comet or immolated when it crashed into the earth. The destruction of a scientist's name and career by these newspaper lies is less horrific in comparison, but no less sad. So this is not just a book about Halley's Comet, but the restoration of the reputation of Camille Flammarion, the serious and famous French astronomer whose words were twisted and shredded in the name of profit. Mr. Goodrich makes no analogy to the times we live in, but astute readers will not fail to see the many similarities between how the newspapers lied in 1910 and how media outlets in the 2020s have been blatantly doing the same. This is an excellent read all round, for science and astronomy buffs particularly, but sociologists, anthropologists, and indeed anyone interested in media and its influence on culture will find it fascinating.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Rowman & Littlefield for an advance copy of this book on the return of Halley's Comet in the early part of the 20th century and the fear that it caused around the world.

As I have gotten older I really do feel that people go out of their way to find things to scare themselves and to get angry about. Just writing this review I am told that people are afraid that the government is going to take away gas stoves, and that the full outrage machine is out in force to fight this attack on the right to cook on stoves. So how does this start. Getting your news from a media that makes money on hits and outrage. Poor schools, and a collapsing infrastructure. Just plain old stu... let me be nice a call it stubbornness. It's hard to say, but this is not new in America nor even world history. Back in 1910 the world was thought to be ending, and many a person made good money pushing that thought. Richard J. Goodrich in his book Comet Madness: How the 1910 Return of Halley's Comet (Almost) Destroyed Civilization looks at a time in America when science said one thing, a lot of other people thought something else, and humans being humans insisted on doing their own research.

The appearance of comets or really and celestial objects in the sky were to early humans, was always thought to mean something momentous was to happen. The death of a king, the end of an empire, maybe famine, pestilence, possibly even the end. In 1705 Edmund Halley used the math and science of the times to look at one object and tried to puzzle out why it appeared, and when it might appear again theorizing that it took 75 years for the comet to travel and return to Earth. Halley was sure he had it right, but unfortunately never lived to see that he was, as the comet returned in 1758. By 1910 most people assumed that Halley's Comet as it had been dubbed would return. And that's when the stories began to appear. Some felt that the comet would destroy the Earth's weather. Some thought the comet would poison us all. Even better it was a portent of the apocalypse. For every science article, another person would have a better story. Crops went untended, rents weren't paid, marriages fell apart as many thought it would be the end.

A fascinating account of a time when everyone thought they had the inside source, or the real scoop on a situation, didn't and countless innocent and gullible people paid the cost. Goodrich has combed many newspapers finding articles for both sides on the Halley's Comet debate, bu finding that since people bought papers with bad news, well the doomsayers had much more of a say. Goodrich is very good at describing the various eras the book covers, along with the science, and pseudoscience and bunkum that filled the newspapers. As usual it is the loudest stupid, and stupidest acts that made the most noise, most people acted more interested than panicked, however this is still a very interesting study on how the message can be corrupted for money, sales, hits and the pains it can inflict on people.

Recommended for both science readers and people interested in both media and how rumors and bad science can become so ingrained in people's heads and hearts. Over one hundred years later, with so much more knowledge and technology, humans are still creatures who believe just about anything and are still afraid to leave the comfort of the group and the fire to see what really is making that noise out in the dark.

This man has read a lot of newspapers. I would rather he spend less time reading century-old news and more time writing, because his writing is fantastic and I want to read more of it. If you happen to be interested in the history of news and misinformation, you will love this book. If not, it's great to skim (the first three chapters are particularly lovely), but man there's a lot of local news reports.

I was hesitant to read a book reminding me how poorly people behave, and how easily they are led to do so. Given the 100-year distance to the event, and the nature of the event, I went ahead anyway.

I don't think the author accomplished what he intended with this one. The premise going in is that the world was consumed by "comet madness" in the months and years leading up to the 1910 appearance of Halley's Comet. After a brief history of Halley sightings from history, the author spends 2/3 of the book building the case that the newspapers alone were responsible for the madness, by stirring people up with stories that were slanted to sell papers or were outright fabrications. It's hard to make a case that comet madness really existed when all you have to go on is the same newspaper articles you claim are false.

To his credt, he unearths a large number of old newspaper articles from all over. He clearly did his research, but it slows down the reading experience when most of what you see is quote after quote. The author needed to tell the story of what happened based on his research, not just reproduce nuggets from that research.

The last third flips the narrative, presenting a more level-headed populace, and while the stories of what actually happened are presented as fact rather than quotes, they must've come from newspaper articles he didn't cite. I finished feeling like I had learned a lot but didn't quite get what I came for.

The untold story of the 1910 return of Halley's comet can be quiet long and a bit drab in parts. This book builds and builds and then quickly lets the reader down as there is not much of a conclusion. It seems that Mr Goodrich intends to blame overreaction and sensationalism to events both in the past and currently (the pandemic is mentioned) squarely on the media without really focusing on the lives impacted but these reports. While an interesting read it was a slog at times to finish and could be be summed up as a collection of newspaper articles and report strung together in a narrative meant to entice the reader into following along but without a sufficient pay-off at the end.

What's more dangerous than a comet? Bad science and bogus journalism, apparently.

Comet Madness by Richard Goodrich centers on the 1910 Visit of Halley's Comet. Goodrich takes a look at how the media created an absolute frenzy around...well, not much of anything but misrepresentations and crackpot theories. If you are a person who walks around these days saying, "fake news" then this book is clearly for you. Goodrich pulls no punches in blaming the media for some of the crazy, sad, and heartbreaking actions people took due to yellow journalism.

The book is mostly a chronicle of scientific theories about what Halley's Comet would (or mostly would not) do on it's visit to Earth. Goodrich clearly did a lot of research and he scoured numerous newspapers to dredge up the stories of people refusing to pay bills, praying harder than ever, or in the worst cases, harming themselves. Some parts are sad and some parts are downright hilarious.

The wild veering between a sad story and then a witty retort to a reporter can make the book feel disjointed at times. Also, while it is not the point of the book, I would have liked a chapter solely devoted to the actual facts around the comet. These are minor nitpicks. It is still a very enjoyable read.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Rowman & Littlefield. The full review will be posted to HistoryNerdsUnited.com on 2/14/2023.)

Comet Madness: How the 1910 Return of Halley's Comet (Almost) Destroyed Civilization by Richard Goodrich is an amazingly researched book about the media storm that surrounded the aforementioned 1910 Halley's Comet. Despite scientists' repeated and longsuffering assurances that Halley's Comet was not going to collide with Earth directly, or change weather patterns and set off earthquakes and volcanoes, or have its' tail envelope the world with cyanogen gases that would kill everyone by way of rapturous joy.

The book is filled with true (and fictional) stories that were published by newspapers trying to incite fear in the public to sell more copies. Goodrich also tries his best to clear Camille Flammarion's name, as he was an astronomer to whom newspapers often purposefully either misquoted or falsely attributed fantastical theories of the comet's effects on Earth.

Go ahead and pick up a copy of Comet Madness and enjoy the tale of how the world was (almost) destroyed.