The Stars: A New Way to See Them (Astronomy)

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Summary: The Best Basic Star Book on the Market
Review: My children and now my grandchildren learn about basic astronomy, the constellations, and the relationship between the celestial sphere and the earth using this book - so am I -still. Whether you will use naked eye, binoculars, or a telescope for star hopping, this is a priceless book. I recommend the hard copy version as you will keep this book so busy for so long through more than one generation, you will demolish the paperback version. This book is for all ages, from beginning readers on up. The first copy came into our family thirty years ago and is still in use along with two others being passed around. When you think you have mastered this book, graduate to "Turn Left at Orion", the next step in excellence in amateur observational astronomy.

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Summary: Excellent resource!
Review: My college astromony lab used this book as its primary text. It is that good. I've always had a fondness for Mr. Rey, of Curious George fame, but this book shows off his genius in a whole new way. Highly recommended.

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Summary: Astronomy for the scientifically impaired!
Review: Picture this... City boy goes to the country for the weekend and, Lo! there are stars where he is used to seeing the glare of the city. Upon musing about which glowing blob was what, his host produces a battered (from much use) edition of H.A.Rey's 'The Stars - A New Way To See Them' and, despite some amusement that the author of the 'Curious George' children's books had penned a star guide, within ten minutes he knew more about the heavens than he had ever thought possible and was pointing out Cassiopeia (easily identified by lining up 'the Pointers' of the Big Dipper to locate the Pole Star and from there, a bit to the right, to the 'W' of Cassiopeia) to his children with the authority of an expert! This book explains in the most simple and understandable terms (Rey was, after all, a children's author and used to parsing information in an easily digestible format) how to look at stars and their constellations, how to recognise them in a simplified, pictorial way, and! how to guage which is which from their brightness. This is the book that I have been seeking for years to demystify the complexities of astronomy so as to make the simple recognition of the stars an enjoyable and non-scientific exercise. Something that other books I've tried seem to make into a complex, and therefore frustrating, pursuit. It is totally fabulous, quite aside from being a fun and informative read. Everyone should be able to recognise at least some of the stars that cicumnavigate the heavens above us, and this book lets them do just that without feeling the need for an astronomy degree.

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Summary: Makes a big difference to learning the constellations
Review: This book has the best constellation figures I've ever seen. Worth the price for all the constellation drawings alone. Plus, Rey's book has a section on sky observing that helps you visualize sky motion, etc. This is for people who want to learn the sky- you might want to get "The Night Sky" planisphere and "Exploring the Night Sky with Binoculars" book, both by David Chandler, too. "Find the Constellations" by Rey is a similar book for children, good for beginners, and another bargain. "Starry Night" computer software has an option to draw constellations as "Reys" using the figures from this book. But the version I have is an older Starry Night Backyard. The newer "Space & Astronomy Pack" edition does not appear to have this feature, as it has a more limited display of the sky.

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Summary: A really good book!
Review: This book is great, allow me to say again it is great. I noticed it used as a reference book at M.I.T. and I was intrigued. I had thought it was a book for children, and it is. But, it is also a book for anyone with a desire to learn to identify heavenly objects. If you've a beginning interest in astronomy buy this book, it's reader friendly.

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Summary: The One Book to Take with You to a Desert Island
Review: This book will change the way you look at the night sky. Instead of just looking up and seeing a random scattering of stars, you will look up and see familiar old friends who rise and fall every year right on schedule. Even in city lights you will be able to pick out the brighter constellations. Leo, Virgo, Gemini, and all the other stars of the zodiac, which were only known by the horo- scopes in the daily paper, will take on new meaning as the flight path for the planets. Trips to the southern latitudes will be seen as an opprotunity to see new stars not visible from home, and trips out into the country will become opprotunities to try and spot some of the dimmer constellations.And best of all, it's very easy. H.A.Rey has taken the old confusing star charts, and reconnected the lines. Now Leo the Lion now actually looks like a lion! And Gemini the Twins, actually looks like a pair of twins! It is a wonderful book for everyone from ages eight to adult. And for those young- er, Rey has put out an equally wonderful children's version called "Find the Constellations."If you've ever had a child who has looked up at the night sky and asked you, "Daddy, what star is that?" and you didn't know, you need this book.

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Summary: The best book ever on Stargazing
Review: This is my first book I ever read on stargazing but it feels like I know the stars since ages. The format is very simple, organized and interesting. The author assumes no prior knowledge and goes on to explain the cosmos in a very very simple language.
I just love it and am going to recommend this to whoever is interested in Stargazing...the first and the best book on the subject.

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Summary: Best introduction to backyard stargazing ever!
Review: This is the all-time classic for learning the constellations. My father gave me this book when I was about 10, and I've owned a copy ever since. Now, my own sons are learning their way around the night sky with it. Absolutely the clearest, most easily recognized representations of the star patterns I've ever seen. Even "Sky and Telescope" magazine has recently changed its "All Sky" maps to use most of these drawings, rather than more complicated traditional ones. (The most notable exception is Ursa Major, The Great Bear, but I prefer Rey's illustration; it looks more like a bear!) One ommission in this catalog listing is the edition and date. The planetary tables are only valid for about a 10-year span, and the publisher revises them accordingly. I can only hope that "Amazon.com" is shipping the latest.