Rating: 
Summary: I bought it for my father
Review: I have no trouble pinpointing the splendid-ness of this book. All I have to do is mutate a cliche and say that "the angel is in the details." Florence's full, dramatic account of the various attempts to create the mirror for this enormous telescope -- first by General Electric and then by Corning -- is worth many times the price of admission. What you get is an exciting story of engineering hurdles met, overcome, and sometimes not overcome ... I am not an engineer, but probably should have been one. My father _was_ an engineer and, while reading this book, decided he would probably find it enthralling, and I was right. Florence is such a careful and masterful writer, that this tale of seemingly-insurmountable obstacles and struggles should appeal to anyone. He makes molten glass come to life. Bravo. One of the better books I've read in the past 5 years - and I read a lot.
Rating:
Summary: I bought it for my father
Review: I have no trouble pinpointing the splendid-ness of this book. All I have to do is mutate a cliche and say that "the angel is in the details." Florence's full, dramatic account of the various attempts to create the mirror for this enormous telescope -- first by General Electric and then by Corning -- is worth many times the price of admission. What you get is an exciting story of engineering hurdles met, overcome, and sometimes not overcome ... I am not an engineer, but probably should have been one. My father _was_ an engineer and, while reading this book, decided he would probably find it enthralling, and I was right. Florence is such a careful and masterful writer, that this tale of seemingly-insurmountable obstacles and struggles should appeal to anyone. He makes molten glass come to life. Bravo. One of the better books I've read in the past 5 years - and I read a lot.
Rating:
Summary: The story of the Palomar telescope and its predecessors
Review: I purchased this book at the telescope gift shop on Mount Palomar back in 1996. I read it in the next few days. It is the fascinating tale of George Hale, a remarkable man who had to battle personal demons (in the form of debilitating mental breakdowns) to build the world's largest telescope--then do it again and again! I can't remember the first one offhand, but the 100-inch Hooker Telescope on Mt. Wilson was next, then the 200-inch Hale telescope on Mt. Palomar. This book talks about all the technical, financal and other difficulties that were overcome to make the giant telescope possible. It explains large earlier telescopes and how the problems encountered in their construction provided lessons for the designers and builders of the Palomar telescope. Anyone interested in the history of technology or astronomy should give this book a look.
Rating:
Summary: The story of the Palomar telescope and its predecessors
Review: I purchased this book at the telescope gift shop on Mount Palomar back in 1996. I read it in the next few days. It is the fascinating tale of George Hale, a remarkable man who had to battle personal demons (in the form of debilitating mental breakdowns) to build the world's largest telescope--then do it again and again! I can't remember the first one offhand, but the 100-inch Hooker Telescope on Mt. Wilson was next, then the 200-inch Hale telescope on Mt. Palomar. This book talks about all the technical, financal and other difficulties that were overcome to make the giant telescope possible. It explains large earlier telescopes and how the problems encountered in their construction provided lessons for the designers and builders of the Palomar telescope. Anyone interested in the history of technology or astronomy should give this book a look.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating account
Review: I will get my criticisms out of the way first. I think the book assumes that readers will have some knowledge of telescopes. Terms such as Cassegrain focus are tossed out but not properly explained. The concept of the reflecting telescope is not explained at all. I think a short telescope primer would have been worthwhile since the book is deserving of a wide audience. Primarily, this is a well-researched account of the design and construction of a mammoth instrument of unprecedented precision. It is striking how much old-fashioned craftsmanship, dedication and individual ingenuity was required. The suspenseful narrative of the work on the 200" mirror alone accounts for over half of the book. Who says computer-controlled manufacturing processes are required to achieve precision? The surface of the mirror is so smooth that if it were the size of the United States the largest hill would not be more than a few inches high. All done by hand without lasers. Alongside the technology, we have the various characters and the sub-plot of the financing of the project. This was Big Science before anyone had coined the term. Moreover, it was Big Science during the depression. America in the thirties is a fascinating backdrop to the story. The description of the transportation of the mirror across the country by rail and the huge crowds that would line the route hoping for a glimpse of the "Giant Eye" was very moving. I have to quote in part a summary on the back cover of the book, "...a poignant rendering of an America mired in the depression yet reaching for the stars". When I read that, I bought the book and was not disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Great book!
Review: If you ever wanted to know how large telescopes are built, then this is the book for you. Perfect Machine captures the time, climate, and excitement of one of the most complex science and engineering projects ever. Starting with the 100 inch Mount Wilson telescope, this book traces the history of Hale and his ever more ambitious telescope projects. Great projects require great visionaries and Hale was certainly the one who could pull this off. Filled with details and insights, this is one of the best science history books that I have read. I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in telescopes, astronomy, or engineering. After reading this book I went 200 miles out of my way on a vacation to see the Telescope in person. It was well worth it!
Rating:
Summary: Great book!
Review: If you ever wanted to know how large telescopes are built, then this is the book for you. Perfect Machine captures the time, climate, and excitement of one of the most complex science and engineering projects ever. Starting with the 100 inch Mount Wilson telescope, this book traces the history of Hale and his ever more ambitious telescope projects. Great projects require great visionaries and Hale was certainly the one who could pull this off. Filled with details and insights, this is one of the best science history books that I have read. I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in telescopes, astronomy, or engineering. After reading this book I went 200 miles out of my way on a vacation to see the Telescope in person. It was well worth it!
Rating: 
Summary: A nearly perfect book about a nearly perfect machine
Review: Not only does Ronald Florence give a vibrant account of the design and construction of the Hale telescope, he manages to make the reader share his fascination for an admirable project and an awe-inspiring science machine. The book is better than well written, it is captivating. Having been closely involved in a major telescope project, I can only state that his account of the production of the "giant eye" rings true. Rarely has a science writer shown so much understanding of the intricate processes, technologies, and human relations underlying a large science project. Still, there are a few disturbing inaccuracies in Florence's story. On a number of occasions, the author wrongly gives credit to the Palomar telescope designers for innovations that had been experimented long before, such as the principle of the support of the primary mirror, actually due to Lassel (Malta, 1861). The account of the in-situ finishing of the primary mirror sounds completely implausible, the metrology of the time (I saw the Hartmann screen on the occasion of a privileged visit in 1995) being of too low resolution to allow any meaningful verification of local refiguring as reported by Florence. The post-1950 period would also have deserved a somewhat broader and fairer account; the Russian 6-m may not have been a success comparable to the Palomar but paved the way for modern mechanical designs, and the advent of entirely new and far-reaching concepts, such as active optics, in the hands of European designers and suppliers is completely ignored. Still, the vision and the endeavour underlying the making of the Palomar telescope emanate from every page; it is a nearly perfect book about a nearly perfect machine.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This book is excellent in every respect. The summary of work shows the determination and patience of all involved in the project. It also illustrates the complexity of large science projects, and develops in the reader a feeling for the magnitude of this accomplishment.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This book is excellent in every respect. The summary of work shows the determination and patience of all involved in the project. It also illustrates the complexity of large science projects, and develops in the reader a feeling for the magnitude of this accomplishment.
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