The Cambridge Illustrated History of Astronomy (Cambridge Illustrated Histories)

Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive coverage of the history of astronomy
Review: An excellent survey with both breadth and depth, covering non-European astronomy (for example the Dresden Codex - a Mayan calendar), the difficulties of the Geo-centric model, the development of the telescope, modern astrophysics, up to the Hubble Space Telescope. Includes a great many sidebars with much peripheral information (I did not know that Herschel was an organist by trade).

Rating:
Summary: Beautifully written and illustrated
Review: This is the single best history of astronomy I've ever encountered. Not only is the narrative interesting, the pictures--from William Herschel's journal pages describing his discovery of Uranus to full-page illuminations of the Cartesian cosmology--enhance the experience even more than one might expect. At less than ( ), this book is a must for any astronomy buff.

Rating:
Summary: Masterpice!
Review: When you see a "coffee table" book like this, you sometimes wonder about whether the writing is going to match the pictures, but with people like Michael Hoskin, Christopher Cullen and Owen Gingerich writing the text, you know that this one is going to be a winner even before you open it. Let me just say that the pictures and the desing in fantastic, and that the writing is at a level suitable for the general public without being "dumbed down". Trust me, you're going to enjoy this one!

Rating:
Summary: Masterpice!
Review: When you see a "coffee table" book like this, you sometimes wonder about whether the writing is going to match the pictures, but with people like Michael Hoskin, Christopher Cullen and Owen Gingerich writing the text, you know that this one is going to be a winner even before you open it. Let me just say that the pictures and the desing in fantastic, and that the writing is at a level suitable for the general public without being "dumbed down". Trust me, you're going to enjoy this one!