Planet Earth is a constituent part of the Galaxy, but only a microscopically small part—a tiny chunk of rock. Like Prometheus, we are chained to this rock, and constrained to view the Galaxy from this one perspective only. Why should we be interested in the Galaxy in the first place, and—with such a restricted viewpoint—how can we ever hope to learn anything about it? These questions are addressed in this book, which draws on an eclectic heritage of science, philosophy, mysticism, poetry and fiction.

The book was first written in 1990, and revised extensively for internet publication in 2004.

Available as a Kindle book from Amazon.com and Amazon UK, and as an ebook from iTunes and elsewhere (ISBN 978-1-4717-4659-8).

Also available as a paperback book from Lulu.