The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Amateur Astronomy

Rating:
Summary: Good Book on Mediocre Paper
Review: An excellent book that takes a unique approach to explaining the world of amateur astronomy. I use this book more as a reference than a door to beginning to understand the huge world of astronomy (Terence Dickinson in Nightwatch does that best). Has an excellent Equipment section (especially the filters area), great planetary info in the Solar System section, and very handy reference charts in the back of the book.

For the price of this book, you'd expect paper quality to at least be equal to The Backyard Astronomer's Guide (Dickinson, Dyer)-- but it isn't. The paper is cheap and really doesn't stand up well to the heavy page turning I have subjected it to - a minor gripe though. There is stuff in this book that is very hard to find elsewhere. Check it out in your local bookstore -- then buy it here at Amazon for a substantial discount off retail if you like it!