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Summary: FIRST LIGHT
Review: FIRST LIGHT IS THE FINEST BOOK ON HARD SCIENCE I HAVE READ SINCE JACOB BRONOWSKI WROTE THE ASCENT OF MAN. IN DESCRIPTIVE POWER AND CLARITY OF DETAIL THE COMPLEXITY AND SUBTLETY OF MODERN ASTRONOMY CARRIED OUT THROUGH THE MEDIUM OF 'BIG SCIENCE' IS REVEALED. AT THE SAME TIME THE PERSONALITIES, THE HUMANITY OF THE ASTRONOMERS IS PRESENTED TO THE READER THROUGH A SERIES OF CHARACTER SKETCHES AND MARVELLOUSLY WRITTEN VIGNETTES.
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Summary: Light Reading, but Uneven
Review: First Light starts out well by dealing with the Hale Telescope itself and the folks that work there (and in one case, actually keep the scope running). Preston also deals with some of the things the Hale had been used for years ago, concentrating on Dr. Schmidt's discovery of Quasars in the 1960s.Part II deals with Eugene and Carolyn Shoemaker's search for Trojan Asteroids orbit out near Jupiter. They used not the Hale Scope, but another, smaller, scope also on Mt. Palomar. While this is the best part of the book (the section on the Shoemaker's teaching Preston how to help them load film into the telescope is easily the best two pages of the book!), one wonders if it belongs here as this section deals neither with the Hale nor with anything near the edge of the Universe. After the Shoemaker's section the book seems to lose its momentum and finally ends with little sense of closure. While you get an interesting sense of watching scientists at work this work is not presented as specific or highly interesting. Most of it is watching quasar candidates go by during observing runs on video screens. In the end, this book has its moments, but is uneven in how it delivers them. If you're interested in a light read about this subject with little technical information and some (but not a lot) personality insights this book may be worth it.
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Summary: Somebody find this guy an editor!
Review: Great topic. Intiguing charcters. Lots of fun to read. Unfortunately this book reads like a first draft instead of a final copy. Richard Preston's sentence structure is terrible. He tends to repeat himself...alot!! Like his other books, the topics and information are wonderful; he needs somebody to keep him organized.
Rating:
Summary: Somebody find this guy an editor!
Review: Great topic. Intiguing charcters. Lots of fun to read. Unfortunately this book reads like a first draft instead of a final copy. Richard Preston's sentence structure is terrible. He tends to repeat himself...alot!! Like his other books, the topics and information are wonderful; he needs somebody to keep him organized.
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Summary: A book worth owning. . .
Review: I adore this book. Of course, I must give a disclaimer, I've always loved the subject of astronomy ever since I was very small. Unfortunately for me, I lacked the patience and the math skills to really delve into it, but books like Preston's, which are written for the layman but dare to delve a little, are a great read. 'First Light' follows two different groups of people: one working at the famed Palomar Telescope in Pasadena; the other, Carolyn and Eugene Shoemaker of the Shoemaker Comets fame. The book is rich with detail and lovingly paints a picture of the kindly, eccentric and brilliant people who inhabit that world. Especially wonderful are the analogies that help you understand how large the universe is when compared to objects around us (i.e., "Imagine the sun the size of the dot on this i. . ."). No, the writing isn't flawless, but the depth of detail and the easy flow of the narrative will keep you reading. . . Highly recommended for all ages.
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Summary: Inspiring
Review: I found "First Light" to be a deeply inspiring book. For me, as an amateur astronomer, Mt. Palomar is almost a sacred place. I think "First Light" must be mandatory reading for everyone who is visiting the Mt. Palomar observatory - read the book before your visit and the place will really spring to life when you get there.
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Summary: A good read for those interested in astronomy
Review: If you are somebody who loves astronomy, then look no further. While this isn't "the best book about astronomy ever written", it is a great book. I got this book when I was thirteen and have loved it ever since. The author tends to jump around a lot, which can be a little annoying and why I only gave it four stars instead of five. Although I liked the part about the Shoemakers, I don't see how that fits in with the purpose of the book. But aside from that, the section about the Shoemakers is really interesting and sometimes funny, like when Carolyn Shoemaker was teaching the author how to change film. The other astronomers are also very interesting, and the book helps debunk some of the myths about astronomers, such as they are all boring nerds, which some people still actually think. While I don't believe it's the "perfect" astronomy book, it makes astronomy seem much more human and relevant than you might think. The author keeps the book moving (although again, he skips around a lot), and it should be enjoyable for anybody looking for a great read.
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Summary: A good read for those interested in astronomy
Review: If you are somebody who loves astronomy, then look no further. While this isn't "the best book about astronomy ever written", it is a great book. I got this book when I was thirteen and have loved it ever since. The author tends to jump around a lot, which can be a little annoying and why I only gave it four stars instead of five. Although I liked the part about the Shoemakers, I don't see how that fits in with the purpose of the book. But aside from that, the section about the Shoemakers is really interesting and sometimes funny, like when Carolyn Shoemaker was teaching the author how to change film. The other astronomers are also very interesting, and the book helps debunk some of the myths about astronomers, such as they are all boring nerds, which some people still actually think. While I don't believe it's the "perfect" astronomy book, it makes astronomy seem much more human and relevant than you might think. The author keeps the book moving (although again, he skips around a lot), and it should be enjoyable for anybody looking for a great read.
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Summary: Stand in the shoes of the folks with their eyes on the skies
Review: The book has a cast of quirky but larger than life characters, including the awesome two hundred-inch Hale Telescope at the Palomar Observatory in California that took fourteen years to cast and polish. The draw for this book is how these astronomers make their incredible discoveries fueled by Oreo cookies, using parts from dumpsters, and keep it held together with Palomar glue (rolls of cheap transparent duct tape). The book is broken into three interwoven areas: the gear, the folks, and the discoveries. The first looks at the seven story tall Hale, the heaviest working telescope on earth, with a mirror that is two hundred inches wide. The book is packed with many interesting characters such as Bernhard Schmidt, the inventor of the Schmidt telescope. A one-armed man with many personal flaws, but who could see with perfect clarity how to create a telescope to such perfection you could photograph tree twigs at two miles lit only by starlight. The book is packed with facts and insights into what drives the astronomers to use the big eyes to solve the riddles of the universe. This book would be an enjoyable read anyone who would like to learn what it is like to be standing in the shoes of the folks that always have their eyes on the skies.
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Summary: A must-read who anyone who enjoys a good read
Review: This book easily makes my "ten best books ever" list. It's the story of the scientists using the Palomar 200-inch telescope to look for the edge of the observable universe. But it's more than that. Like an involving novel (even though this is non-fiction), it's also a portrait of the engaging, human, and sometimes quirky characters involved. Finally, First Light is a stylishly written, seductive explanation of what's at stake as the science team tries to "drill wildcat holes in look-back time." Even if you hate science and care nothing for astronomy, this book will charm and delight you
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