Science writer and author David Baron explores the fascinating phenomenon in The Martians: The True Story of an Alien Craze that Captured Turn-of-the-Century America, revealing how early reports of life on Mars ignited public imagination. Baron recounts how late-19th-century astronomers, sensational newspapers, and emerging science fiction fueled widespread excitement—and sometimes panic—about possible extraterrestrial neighbors. From cutting-edge telescopic observations to lively debates in lecture halls and parlors, his account shows how the idea of Martians shaped American culture, inspiring scientific inquiry, sparking technological dreams, and leaving a legacy that still influences how we think about life beyond Earth today.