There is another book by another Professor of English specializing in science fiction that was published around June.
Mars : A Tour of the Human Imagination by Eric S. Rabkin
rom the Book Description from Amazon
..... In recent years, "NASA-fication" has brought Mars home, imagining the Red Planet almost as an eighth continent of Earth, a candidate for exploration and exploitation both in fiction and in fact. Rabkin weaves a chronological tale of many threads, including mythology, astrology, astronomy, literary criticism, and cultural studies in a work that features over 100 illustrations.
Rabkin is Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
It seems English professors may be showing more insight into recent "Mars science" than most the "real" scientists. I, for one, cringe whenever I see the "If X on Mars looks like Y on earth then X = Y" model of interpretation applied. The paper on magnetics and plate tectonics (or at least the PR) looks like the most recent example. Certainly thanks Chris for showing the data in a real perspective and not unbeleivably distorted by a Mercator-like projection made right to the poles.