What's the best all-purpose astronomy book you've read?

[Champion_Munch]

I'm looking to go and buy a book for ~35 (AUS$), because the most up-to-date one I have at the moment was printed in 1988. :oops:

What's everyone's thoughts?

with regards

[EvilBob]

If you're looking for a basic beginner's guide to the southern sky, I can recommend Steve Massey's 'The Night Sky'.
Link (http://www.dymocks.com.au/ContentDynamic/Full_Details.asp?ISBN=1741100836)

[hippietrekx]

I have a book published in 1987 that I found in a rummage sale for $5 (USA$). It's called "The International Encyclopedia of Astronomy" and has just about everything that happend before I was born (1989) in it.

It may have an updated version out--I'm not sure-- but, it has just about everything you could possibly want to know about in it, in lay-man's terms. You should look into it.

--htx

[Gillianren]

well, of course, there's a book attached to the website attached to this forum, but I don't think it quite counts as "general astronomy," since it does serve a rather specific purpose.

failing that, I'd suggest Don't Know Much About the Universe, which I adore. it's also got a very good timeline of human astronomical thought.

[Champion_Munch]

If you're looking for a basic beginner's guide to the southern sky, I can recommend Steve Massey's 'The Night Sky'.
Link (http://www.dymocks.com.au/ContentDynamic/Full_Details.asp?ISBN=1741100836)

Thanks, but I'm fine in the observing department at the moment.

The book I currently have is the "Illustrated Encyclopedia of Astronomy" by John Man (Carl Sagan wrote the forward). I'm trying to find a link now but they all seem to be outdated. :(

I must have read through it 10 times already, but it's outdated by far too much now to be of much use.

So basically I'm looking for something not too newbie-ish, with enough in it that I can learn heaps that covers most astronomical aspects.

with regards

[EvilBob]

I have a book published in 1987 that I found in a rummage sale for $5 (USA$). It's called "The International Encyclopedia of Astronomy" and has just about everything that happend before I was born (1989) in it.

It may have an updated version out--I'm not sure-- but, it has just about everything you could possibly want to know about in it, in lay-man's terms. You should look into it.

--htx
Is this one by Patrick Moore, Hippietrekx? If it is, the latest ed. is 1992, and I can't find any in print. (Looking for books is my job, BTW!) Be worth checking the 2nd hand markets, or ebay.
'Don't Know Much about the Universe' by Kenneth Davis is in print though, and any bookshop should be able to get it for you.

[Apothis]

I bought the National Geographic encyclopedia of space a few months ago, and it is really well rounded. Has everything from basic astronomy all the way to human spaceflight. It's a good read. The only downside is that it is a big hardcover book, and at almost 60 dollars it isn't a bargain. :-?

[hippietrekx]

Why, yes, EvilBob, the editor is Patrick Moore. It's nice to know they updated the book after my birth. :D

I had blind luck when I found my copy. Buried all the way to the bottom of one of the piles at my local library's annual rummage sale. I guess the probably wanted to get rid of the old edition because they got the new one.

BTW, munch, "Internation Encyclopedia of Astronomy" is written in mostly lay-man's terms, but it isn't newbie-ish by far. While you don't need a PhD to read it, it does cover tons of topics in detail. In the 1987 editon there are...


2,500 alphabetically arranged entries
Seven major essays in full color
Nearly 400 black-and-white photographs and diagrams
More than 160 four-color photographs and artwork
325,000 words of text and captions

--htx

[edit to add: According to the inside cover, the hardcover cost $40 (USA$) originally. It's a huge book (463 large pages with small print) so I don't think there's a cheaper paper-back version.]

[Champion_Munch]

I have a book published in 1987 that I found in a rummage sale for $5 (USA$). It's called "The International Encyclopedia of Astronomy" and has just about everything that happend before I was born (1989) in it.

It may have an updated version out--I'm not sure-- but, it has just about everything you could possibly want to know about in it, in lay-man's terms. You should look into it.

--htx

The book I currently have covers a very large arc of astronomical areas. What I'm looking for is a similar book that was produced within the past 3 or 4 years. :) Somehow I managed to pick it up for ~20 bucks (WHAT A STEAL! :d) back in 1998, probably because it was so outdated.

I've got countless other astronomy books at home, mostly from relatives relatives from b'days and stuff, which .....quite frankly, offer little educational enlightenment. :P

with regards

[Champion_Munch]

[edit to add: According to the inside cover, the hardcover cost $40 (USA$) originally. It's a huge book (463 large pages with small print) so I don't think there's a cheaper paper-back version.]

Sounds interesting. If I could find a newer version of it, I wouldn't mind paying a few extra bob (nothing too extravagent though, my max limit that I wana spend is about $45-50 bucks).

The great thing about the book I currently have is, although it says "enclyclopedia", it's actually not a compilation of words and topics organised in alphabetical order - it's divided into meaty chapters devoted to each topic (eg. The Solar System, Stellar Evolution, The Living Void etc.). Although it's only around 200 pages long, it's great. :D

with regards

[hippietrekx]

:lol: I hate it when relatives buy me books too. The last one I got was from my aunt for Chistmas entitled "The Night Sky." It's a field guide for children. Just to show you how low the level of the book is, it came with a ten-pack of glow-in-the-dark stars. #-o The only part I like about it is the "Quick Stats" page on each planet that has diameters and distances from the sun, etc.

Most of the books I have were published before I was born. The only "new" I have ones were published in the late '90s and are just sky guides and charts.

I know where you're coming from with the want to buy a book published after 2000. Having an encycopedia that even mentions the 1997 mission to Mars would be an upgrade for me. 8-[

--htx

[Champion_Munch]

:lol: I hate it when relatives buy me books too. The last one I got was from my aunt for Chistmas entitled "The Night Sky." It's a field guide for children. Just to show you how low the level of the book is, it came with a ten-pack of glow-in-the-dark stars. #-o The only part I like about it is the "Quick Stats" page on each planet that has diameters and distances from the sun, etc.

Most of the books I have were published before I was born. The only "new" I have ones were published in the late '90s and are just sky guides and charts.

I know where you're coming from with the want to buy a book published after 2000. Having and encycopedia that even mentions the 1997 mission to Mars would be an upgrade for me. 8-[

--htx

One of the books I got from (an Uncle?) for my b'day a few years back is entitled: The Jetsons Explore Space. :P

The only recent books I have are the "Astronomy - a Practical Guide to the Night Sky" books which come out each year (for us Aussies :P), and have stacks of ephemeris for observing the night sky. Although I love observing, I'd like to get a book that covers a wider range of astronomical topics.

Unfortunately, the book I got only just managed to profile Voyager 2's flyby of Uranus before it came to press. :P

with regards

[hippietrekx]

I'm reading a physics book now-- "A History of Mechanics." While it's not exactly astronomy, physics and astronomy are tightly intertwined. I like to learn about how we got to the theories we have now, and what mistakes were made in the past. AHoM is tough reading and written like a text book, but it's really interesting.

The problems I have with finding good astronomy books are money and convinience (sp?) I'm 15 and jobless so, I'm low on cash. Usually I can get my friends to give me $5 for eating something wierd like styrofoam or paper cups. Three paper cups and a chunk of styrofoam got me a stomach ache and "The Cambridge Astronomy Guide" from a second-hand store last month. (TCAG talks about how to do astronomy with limited funds (fits me, huh?) and simple equipment. It also talks about space photography. I just need a decent camera...).

Anyway, in my area, the best bookstores for space booka are second-hand stores and big-name bookstores (like Barnes & Nobles, but here there are usually lower-level books). The only newly published books I could get are from catalouges for $50 with $10 shipping. I don't think I'd wanna eat 12 paper cups for a book I couldn't even thumb through before I bought. After all, you can't judge a book by its cover. #-o Oh, how cheesy, yet true my jokes are.

--htx

[Champion_Munch]

I've got a job (at maccas, urgh! #-o ), but I just spent about 700 bucks on this computer - so I'm kinda at a loss for cash at the moment. The problem with getting books over the net or by mail order is that you don't know [i]exactly what you're getting[i]. I was gonna go look in a bookstore down the street and flip through a couple of the books there to see what they're like, but thought I might get a few opinions from people here first.

That's why the net's so great - everything you read is free (well, at least for me anyway ;)) and you can talk to people in real time. But when you're reading long-*** pages with small writing, it's much easier to lie down and read them, than stare (hunched over) at a dodgy computer monitor for hours.

Astrophotography is something that I'd like to get into, but like you said money is an issue there.....:(

with regards

[EvilBob]

This (http://www.collinsbooks.com.au/featuredbook1.asp?StoreUrl=collinsbooks&bookid=019 5218337&db=us) looks like a later edition of Hippietrekx's book, but it's a little pricey - AU$91. You can see a bit more info on it here. (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0195218337/qid=1119331541/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-0166273-1563019?v=glance&s=books)

[Champion_Munch]

This (http://www.collinsbooks.com.au/featuredbook1.asp?StoreUrl=collinsbooks&bookid=019 5218337&db=us) looks like a later edition of Hippietrekx's book, but it's a little pricey - AU$91. You can see a bit more info on it here. (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0195218337/qid=1119331541/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-0166273-1563019?v=glance&s=books)

Thanks for the links, but for some reason I can't access either site.....similar to the problem I was having earlier when trying to find a link to the book I currently have. #-o

with regards

[Gillianren]

it really sounds to me like the Davis is your best bet. you can almost certainly find it used, and while the title may mislead you, it's a pretty good overview that's in laymans' terms without treating you like an idiot for not knowing the more advanced ones.

[AGN Fuel]

If you can find a second hand copy of 'Horizons: Exploring the Universe' (http://server1.fandm.edu/departments/Astronomy/textbooks/TextHor.html) by Michael Seeds through Wadsworth Publishing, that sounds like the sort of thing you are looking for.

I have a copy of the 5th edition. It is fairly comprehensive (although there is minimal maths in it) and probably pitched at around Senior High/1st year undergrad level.

[Champion_Munch]

If you can find a second hand copy of 'Horizons: Exploring the Universe' (http://server1.fandm.edu/departments/Astronomy/textbooks/TextHor.html) by Michael Seeds through Wadsworth Publishing, that sounds like the sort of thing you are looking for.

I have a copy of the 5th edition. It is fairly comprehensive (although there is minimal maths in it) and probably pitched at around Senior High/1st year undergrad level.

That book looks great. :D

Thanks for all the suggestions guys, I'm gonna go hunt around a few book stores today and ask around. :)

with regards

[Tom Mazanec]

Oxford Astronomy Encyclopedia.

[Maddad]

I'm looking to go and buy a book for ~35 (AUS$), because the most up-to-date one I have at the moment was printed in 1988. :oops:"Discovering the Universe"
Third Edition By William J. Kauffmann III (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/ref=br_ss_hs/102-7778549-5682539?platform=gurupa&url=index%3Dblended&field-keywords=Discovering+the+Universe&Go.x=5&Go.y=7&Go =Go)

This was my astronomy textbook. The price should be in your neighborhood. It covers everything. I still refer to it years later; got it on my desk right now. I've taken some of the material for my website at http://www.maddad.org/astronomy/ . If you want to understand astronomy, then this is the book for you. It takes you in steps, and has review questions. It is a an astronomy textbook, after all.

[Maksutov]

I'm looking to go and buy a book for ~35 (AUS$), because the most up-to-date one I have at the moment was printed in 1988. :oops:

"Discovering the Universe"
Third Edition By William J. Kauffmann III (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/ref=br_ss_hs/102-7778549-5682539?platform=gurupa&url=index%3Dblended&field-keywords=Discovering+the+Universe&Go.x=5&Go.y=7&Go =Go)
This was my astronomy textbook. The price should be in your neighborhood. It covers everything. I still refer to it years later; got it on my desk right now. I've taken some of the material for my website at http://www.maddad.org/astronomy/ . If you want to understand astronomy, then this is the book for you. It takes you in steps, and has review questions. It is a an astronomy textbook, after all.
Maddad,

How about using the URL embedded link feature so we don't have to keep scrolling horizontally to read this thread?

Hit the "quote" button on this post to see how it's done.

Thanks.

[Maddad]

"Discovering the Universe"
Third Edition By William J. Kauffmann III (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/ref=br_ss_hs/102-7778549-5682539?platform=gurupa&url=index%3Dblended&field-keywords=Discovering+the+Universe&Go.x=5&Go.y=7&Go =Go)

Slick. Follow the URL tag with a close bracket, then your link text, and then your close URL tag.

[Andromeda321]

Nightwatch by Terrence Dickinson, my copy is dog eared for a reason!

[Superluminal]

"Burnham's Celestial Handbook", although rather dated, even when I bought it in the 80s, it still contains a wealth of data on differant stars and deep sky objects that are still relevent today. Plus a lot of usefull tables in vol. I. Delves into mythology from differant cultures around the world.

[George]

If you might like to try an audio version, Vault of the Heavens is enjoyable and informative for general astronomy. It is a little above beginners level. There are about 6 cd's.

[Champion_Munch]

If you might like to try an audio version, Vault of the Heavens is enjoyable and informative for general astronomy. It is a little above beginners level. There are about 6 cd's.

Thanks, but I'm looking for a book that I can read at my own leisure. The reason I'd rather a book then just read info of the net is that I enjoy lying down to read, and not having to look at a screen to read words is a good reprieve. :)

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone, I had a quick snoop in a couple of nearby bookstores the other day and I didn't find anything, but I've written down all the book's and will go hunting later this week. :D

with regards

[A Thousand Pardons]

"Burnham's Celestial Handbook", although rather dated, even when I bought it in the 80s, it still contains a wealth of data on differant stars and deep sky objects that are still relevent today. Plus a lot of usefull tables in vol. I. Delves into mythology from differant cultures around the world.
Three volumes! but they're often available as a single premium special with astronomy bookclubs and the like. A lot of data there, and some history too.

[George]

If you might like to try an audio version, Vault of the Heavens is enjoyable and informative for general astronomy. It is a little above beginners level. There are about 6 cd's.

Thanks, but I'm looking for a book that I can read at my own leisure. The reason I'd rather a book then just read info of the net is that I enjoy lying down to read, and not having to look at a screen to read words is a good reprieve. :)
Ok. You might pick up Issac Asimov's "Understanding Physics". He is such a great writter that he makes it an enjoyable read. It happens to be a cheap bargain book at Barnes & Nobles (under $10, I think). It is a good supplement to astronomy.

[Cougar]

Here are some good ones....

The Three Big Bangs, Comet Crashes, Exploding Stars,
and the Creation of the Universe [1996] -- Dauber and Muller

The Secret Melody [1995] -- Trinh Xuan Thuan

The Whole Shebang,
A State-of-the-Universe(s) Report [1997] -- Timothy Ferris

Creation, The Story of the Origin and Evolution of the Universe [1988] -- Barry Parker

Blind Watchers of the Sky, The People and Ideas that Shaped Our View of the Universe [1996] -- Rocky Kolb

The Very First Light, The True Inside Story of the Scientific Journey Back to the Dawn of the Universe [1996] -- John C. Mather and John Boslough

The Inflationary Universe, the quest for a new theory of cosmic origins [1997] -- Alan H. Guth

Wrinkles in Time [1993] -- George Smoot, Keay Davidson

The Light at the Edge of the Universe [1993] -- Michael D. Lemonick

The Runaway Universe, the Race to Find the Future of the Cosmos [2000] -- Donald Goldsmith

The Fabric of the Cosmos; Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality [2004] -- Brian Greene

[TheOncomingStorm]

universe by kauffman is another good astronomy book that is aimed for for first year astronomy course a little bit more math then micheal seeds book.

[Manchurian Taikonaut]

Oxford Astronomy Encyclopedia.

I think I recall that one, it was very good :D

[gmiller]

"A brief history of time" by Stephen Hawking: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/002-7229542-8941647

Even the Illustrated version (highly recommended) can be had new at Amazon for $26, you can get used versions for less than half that.

Another great book is "Shaum's Outline of Astronomy": http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN%3D0071364366/002-7229542-8941647

It's $10 new, and used for under $1!

If you want a list of more to look at, I have a small library, you can find a list of them at:
http://www.gregmiller.net/books.html#Astronomy/Astrodynamics

[Champion_Munch]

Alright...I said I wasn't gonna get an observational book, but I've recently got stuck back into the practical side of astronomy - so I picked up "Atlas of the Night Sky" by Storm Dunlop (2005). :P

I've realised that I'm gonna have to get several different books because nothing's gonna have everything I need. I also found out that book stores have squat-all, so I'll have to order most of the stuff online. Probably during this week (as it's school hols at the moment) I'll go through the suggestions you've all offered and see if I can find any reviews.

Thanks again. :)

with regards

[antoniseb]

Ptolemy's Almagest by G. J. Toomer

[baric]

I'm looking to go and buy a book for ~35 (AUS$), because the most up-to-date one I have at the moment was printed in 1988. :oops:

What's everyone's thoughts?

with regards

My favorite is "The Universe and Beyond": http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1552979016/qid=1126968547/sr=2-3/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_3/002-9602840-3679251?v=glance&s=books

The pictures are stunning, the text is easily understood (great for a layman like myself) and it probably has the best HR Diagram I've seen anywhere.

It's also inexpensive and updated regularly -- currently on its 4th edition.

[BenM]

Could anyone recommend a good general knowledge astrophysics book? The last one I read was Elegant Universe. Is there something newer?

[hippietrekx]

My favorite is "The Universe and Beyond": http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1552979016/qid=1126968547/sr=2-3/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_3/002-9602840-3679251?v=glance&s=books

The pictures are stunning, the text is easily understood (great for a layman like myself) and it probably has the best HR Diagram I've seen anywhere.

It's also inexpensive and updated regularly -- currently on its 4th edition.

I've got that one too. It's rather good for quick reference, but dosen't go into a ton of detail. Still pretty good for researchign and just brushing up on space in general.

--hippie