A concise history of Venus from the earliest pre-telescopic observations, to the often fraught efforts of 18th century astronomers to observe transits, to the robotic probes of the Space Age. This 12,000 word eBook Short Read describes how our views of Venus have changed over the last two centuries – from a tropical or possibly ocean world to a hellish place with surface temperatures high enough to melt lead. Despite these hostile conditions, the possibility of life cannot be ruled out.