Rating: 
Summary: An excellent source for any ameture astronomer
Review: Whether you are just getting into the hobby of astronomy, or a long-time observer, The Backyard Astronomer's Guide is an excellent reference for: buying telescopes or binoculars
learning the skies
any natural phenomenon, like the green flash
daytime observing
buying accessories for telescopes and binoculars
finding how the different types of telescopes work and what to look for in purchasing one This book has detailed descriptions on every aspect of astronomy along with spectacular pictures of various Messier objects, daytime phenomenon, the Milky Way, famous nebula, star clusters, galaxies, and everything you could ever wonder about astronomy. I very strongly recommend this book to anyone who is even remotely interested in astronomy.
Rating:
Summary: Can't go wrong...
Review: You can't go wrong with this book - it is like a college text book, but better - all the information you could want. If you don't own a telescope yet, buy this book and they'll walk you through which one to buy.
Rating:
Summary: Do not consider buying this book
Review: You should not consider buying this book. You should just buy it. I held off purchasing it since I already knew a fair bit (or so I thought) about amateur astronomy, had already bought a great telescope and a bunch of accessories, and I knew of many other more specialized resources for specific topics (what to look at, astrophotography, physics of the objects we look at, where to find star parties and so on). Plus, published in 1991, it seemed like the book was bound to be outdated soon. However I ended up purchasing it, and reading this thing is a truly eye-opening experience. It is hard to imagine a more well-rounded, well-written, enjoyable and authoritative text on amateur astronomy. It covers many topics but somehow manages to avoid treating them superficially. Sure, if you get deeply into photography or optical design you'll want to get single-topic references. And you still need a star chart! But this book will help you get off and running in all phases of amateur astronomy. If you read this, you'll be transformed immediately from a beginner to one of the people "in the know" in your astronomy club and your enjoyment of the hobby will be heightened greatly.
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