Comets have inspired dread and panic through millennia. When Halley's Comet made its spectacular appearance in 1910, sweeping the earth with its tail, many feared being poisoned by gases or worse. Churches did a booming business, scoundrels peddled "comet pills," and some desperate souls committed suicide rather than go through what they imagined to be the coming conflagration.

The newspapers of the day eagerly printed every scrap of comet news they could find, or in some cases, invent. From the sober-minded utterances of learned astronomers to reports of "comet party" riots and mass prayer processions - even rumors of Midwestern cultists attempting to sacrifice a virgin to the comet - it was all grist for the mill.

Besides covering the public fascination and hysteria aroused by the comet, some reporters couldn't restrain themselves from fanning the flames. While assuring their readers that "probably" nothing bad would come of earth's encounter with the celestial wanderer, they sometimes went on to note all the horrible things that "might" happen. If that seems irresponsible, just remind yourself of how today's cable news stations seem to thrive on stoking fear in their viewers. In some ways the mass media haven't changed!

The story of Halley's Comet, especially its 1910 fly-by and the popular reaction to it, has been told before. However, this is the first compilation in one volume of such a large and representative sampling of the actual coverage given to the comet by the newspapers of that era. The selections cover the gamut, from serious scientific essays to wild-eyed speculative pieces to reports of people behaving oddly under the grip of comet madness. There are even a couple of comet-themed short stories, as well as writings by youngsters imagining the adventures they could have riding the comet's tail. Many of the selections are accompanied by Steve Smith's editor's notes, providing brief biographies of individuals mentioned in the articles (such as eminent astronomers), and other background information.

Whether your interest is astronomy, journalistic history, events of the early 20th century, or "popular delusions and the madness of crowds," you'll find some fascinating reading here, straight from the pages of yesteryear.

Note: The Vintage Newspaper Mining Project mines for the gems of literature and odd news stories buried in the pages of newspapers published in the 19th and early 20th centuries. These wonderful stories and articles deserve to see the light of day again and to be made available for modern readers. Other volumes (all available as Kindle books) include Dogs! Read All About 'Em: Best Dog Stories & Articles from the Golden Age of Newspapers (Volumes 1 & 2), and Sticky Buns and Jolly Girls: Vintage Advice to Ladies on How to Catch A Man, with many more to come.