Product Description
Praise for the First Edition of Star Ware . . .

"A complete, current review of the material needed by backyard astronomers . . .

It deserves a place on the bookshelf of anyone who looks at the sky." -David Eicher Associate Editor, Astronomy Author of Beginner's Guide to Amateur Astronomy

"A great help to anyone, especially the novice, who is wondering what to get. I don't know of any other single source that covers so much of the equipment scene." - Alan MacRobert Associate Editor, Sky & Telescope Author of Star-Hopping for Backyard Astronomers.

Just as our knowledge of the cosmos has changed dramatically in the past few years, so has the world of telescope buying. Today, it is easier than ever for the backyard astronomer to actively observe the universe-with equipment to satisfy every need. How does the amateur astronomer make informed choices?

In this Second Edition of Star Ware, award-winning astronomy writer Philip S. Harrington helps eliminate the guesswork, and guides you through the process with fully updated and expanded chapters on telescopes and accessories. For budding astronomers and experienced amateurs alike, Star Ware, Second Edition gives you everything you need to make educated decisions, including:
* Extensive reviews of leading model names and hard-to-find accessories on the market, along with dozens of new products to help you buy smart
* A clear, step-by-step guide to all aspects of purchasing, from choosing the right binoculars and telescopes to buying eyepieces, filters, cameras, and film
* Ten new do-it-yourself projects to help save you time and money-including a portable telescope case and performance-enhancing collimation tools
* Easy maintenance, mapping, and photography tips of the trade to help you get the most out of your telescope and stargazing
* Where to find everything astronomical: Internet sites and web resources with complete addresses for distributors, dealers, and conventions; corporate listings for products and services; and advice on using equipment. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (31)

A must have for beginners or any Astronomy library
Phil Harrington's book is the perfect primer for those interested in astronomy or contemplating a telescope purchase. It is very easy to follow and fun to read as he de-mistifies many of the terms those who are new to astronomy might not be familiar with. The book even includes a test you can take to determine the best type of telescope to purchase, taking your budget and your viewing location into consideration. I own the 1st and 2nd editions and have loaned them both to many who have contemplated a scope purchase. This book is probably the best money I ever spent on the hobby!Thanks Phil!

A must if you own or want to buy a telescope.
Philip S. Harrington's Star Ware is one of the best guides to choose, buy and use telescopes and accesories for observing the nightsky.With many charts, illustrations, tables and black and white photographs, this book is a real help in order to setup and test your astronomical equipment. In ten well written chapters, the book deals with topics such as aperture, focal lenght, focal ratio, magnification and resolving power. It also explains the different types of telescopes (reflectors, refractors, etc) comparing different brands of telescopes and eyepieces, giving useful tips on observing and astrophotography. Useful appendices, updated in this second edition, will give the reader information about telescope dealers, distributors and manufacturers, in the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia. Definitively, this is one of the best books of its kind and a must for amateur astronomers who own or want to buy a telescope.

Extremely great book
This is the only book I've ever read. I can say with ease and honesty that it is flawless.I knew next to nothing about observing with a telescope, let alone how to choose the right one for myself.The Author always starts a topic at the absolute beginning and then proceeds slowly, but steadily, untill everything is covered. It wouldn't be fair to call this an easy-to-read book, but scientific books does not get much easier to read than this. The conclusion must be, that if you are looking for a book about Amateur astronomy or simply how to choose the right telescope or equipment, than stop looking! Don't waste the time or your money on other books! This is simply all there is to say about astronomy.

Excellent resource
This is an amzing resource for all amateur astronomers. While it can get a bit overly wordy, this book helps you to understand just about any scope you can but. It also has good descriptions of ronchigram and star tests foramateur telescope makers. Highly reccomended.

essential astro gear guide
There are a few books no amateur astronomer should be without. One is Peterson's Field Guide to the Stars and Planets, which packs more useful information into a smaller package than any other book I know of. A secondis The Backyard Astronomer's Guide by Dickinson & Dyer, which coversthe basics of the hobby in a more expansive, descriptive format.

A thirdmember of this short list has recently been republished in a new edition:Star Ware, Second Edition (The Amateur Astronomer's Ultimate Guide toChoosing, Buying, and Using Telescopes and Accessories) by Philip S.Harrington, 1998 John Wiley & Sons. Star Ware is aimed mostly atbeginners, teaching in a lively and informal style the basics of howtelescopes work and how to use them, but there is a fair amount ofinformation of interest to advanced amateurs as well.

The book beginswith two chapters about telescope optics and different types of telescopes,with something of the history of telescopes along the way. Chapter 3 coversthe pros and cons of each type in some detail, ending with a quiz where youadd the point values of your answers to show what type you should buy -fun, as long as you don't take it too seriously. Chapter 4 is a still moredetailed look at the offerings of different manufacturers, again sorted bytype. Phil goes easy on the major manufacturers, judging from some of thetales of woe I've heard; but the treatment is fair and useful. Chapter 5compares the myriad eyepieces available to go with these scopes. Both thesechapters have appendices where the information is laid out in convenienttables.

Chapter 6 covers finders and filters, other books and software,cameras and CCD's. One thing I would have appreciated would be a similarappendix covering all the competing software packages, what they do welland which was the best for each purpose. As I wrote two months ago, I havepurchased a number of these packages and started to evaluate them; maybe Ineed to write this comparison myself.

Chapter 7 was the most interestingto me - a description of projects you can make, from a collimation tool toa video camera bracket to a binocular chair - the latter I want to getstarted on Real Soon Now. `Till Death Do You Part' is on care of yourscope, and repeats sage advice against unnecessary cleaning, as well as howto collimate your optics.

The last and longest chapter, `It's Time toSolo!', covers the targets to point your scope at (moon, planets, comets,sun, deep-sky), a description of a few dozen of the best deep-sky objects,and a brief introduction to astrophotography. This will be of less interestto advanced amateurs, who probably have more detailed sources of this typeof information. One might question why to include this in a book aboutequipment, but it probably does make it more useful for the beginner whomay buy only this book.

Parts of the book overlap with the Dickinson& Dyer book mentioned above, but the treatment of telescopes andeyepieces is much more detailed. Overall, a fine book, highly recommendedfor a beginning amateur, and recommended for an advanced amateur looking tobuy a new scope or eyepiece. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

Disagree with Mladen K. Vranjican's review
I totally disagree with Mladen K. Vranjican's review "- Page 127, line3. The book incorrectly relates R. J. Lurie's work with that of J. L. Houghton."
I don't have a copy of Lurie's paper (Journal of the Optical Society of America, March 1975, p. 261), but I have an article named "Gleanings for ATM's--Making an Aplanatic 4-inch Telescope" on Sky & Telescope Nov. 1979 issue. It mentioned Lurie's great thought in his paper:
"In Example IV [of U.S. Patent No.2350,112, May 30, 1944] J.L.Houghton presents a design for an aplanatic system that consists of a two-element afocal corrector at the optical focus of a spherical mirror. The corrector...is shown made of glasses that have different refractive indices. However, such a corrector can be designed using the same glass type for both elements. This aplanat has interesting properties. Like the Wright telescope...its tube length is equal to its focal length. However, its astigmatism is only half that of the Wright telescope, and its surfaces are all spherical. The image surface of best focus has the same curvature as the mirror."

So, Mr. Lurie not only invented the aspheric (conic-section) mirror type as Mladen K. Vranjican said in the review, but also footnoted the telescope with all spherical and same glass, just what we called 'Lurie-Houghton' now a days. Mr. Lurie ofcouse should own the honor for the name together with Houghton. What Houghton invented is using different glass and it is the source of Lurie-Houghton telescope.

Manual is more comprehensive than accessible
There was a time once when amateur astronomers had exposure to only a few different kinds of telescopes--mostly simple achromatic refractors, which comprise just two lenses cemented together (plus an eyepiece), and Newtonian reflectors, which include a mirror plus the eyepiece.Many, possibly most, of these amateurs also made their own optics, and as a result, they knew most of what there was to know about these designs.

Nowadays, it's quite different.Not only are there vastly more types of telescopes, but most amateurs now buy telescopes; telescope building is a diminishing part of amateur astronomy, and people make their own telescopes out of desire, not necessity.It's harder than ever now for amateurs to really know about optical designs in breadth and depth.

Into this breach step Rutten and van Venrooij, two Dutch astronomers who wanted to know more about optics but found that resources were generally unavailable to amateurs.So, they wrote their own.Telescope Optics is a compendium of optical information, geared to the intermediate to advanced amateur.Like Gaul, it can be divided into three parts: Chapters 1 through 4 discuss optical principles; Chapters 5 through 16 apply those principles to various telescope and accessory designs; and Chapters 17 through 22 cover evaluation and design.

The manner of the text is generally scholarly but informal.Although optical principles are explained from the fundamentals, the authors still assume a certain level of comfort with high school mathematics and analytical exposition.In particular, it helps if the reader can easily digest information in two-dimensional graphs.This can make the book somewhat imposing for those readers who really just want to know, at a high level, what makes their own telescope tick.

For those readers capable of making their way through the analysis, however, the authors clearly and comprehensively explain the workings of several telescope and camera designs, and discuss in brief the quirks of at least half a dozen more.The compromises of each design are detailed to the level of so-called "third-order aberrations"; these include coma, astigmatism, field curvature, spherical aberration, and distortion.

The authors also make available their own design software.Being 15 years down the line, the software is somewhat out of date, and it does not come free with the book; it must be purchased separately.The book does explain how to use the software, though.

Overall, the book should find its way onto the shelf of anyone who wants to learn, seriously, about their optics.For those who simply want a taste of how optics work, or who need a gentle introduction to the field, it probably ought to wait until later.

Excellent manual for beginners and advanced amateurs
Telescope Optics is a comprehensive, educational and practical manual for beginners and advanced amateur opticians and astronomers. It is probably one of the best overall sources of information on basic optics, optical instruments and their prformance. The book comes with a DOS-based computer program that allows users to design their own systems and evaluate theoretical or existing optical configurations.Telescope Optics fills the gap between simple amateur telescope and optics manuals and professional literature. The book is due for a second edition, as well as an upgraded optical design and analysis program suitable for Windows-driven computer environment.Although Telescope Optics came with some errata sheets, the book has notable omissions and errors, summarized below.- Page 5, line 19. No mention is made of either F. B. Wright (1935) or Y. Väisälä (1936), whose modifications to the original Schmidt camera design resulted in more compact, flat-field instruments suitable for visual as well as photographic work.- Page 88, line 5. Credit is given to K. Slevogt (October, 1942) for developing a modification to the famous Baker camera. His work was preceeded, however, by C. R. Burch (April, 1942) in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (Vol. 102, No. 3, "Design of Approximately Flat-fielded System, with Two Spherical Mirrors and One Plate").- Page 127, line3. The book incorrectly relates R. J. Lurie's work with that of J. L. Houghton. Houghton (U.S. Patent No 2,350,112, May 30, 1944) proposed a two-element all-spherical corrector used in conjunction with a spherical mirror for a Newtonian-like configuration. The system is aplanatic (free of coma and spherical aberration). Lurie (Journal of the Optical Society of America, March 1975, p. 261) proposes two-element all-spherical correctors in conjunction with aspheric (conic-section) mirrors resulting in a fully systems that are fully anastigmatic - free of coma, spherical aberration and astigmatism. The two systems are not interchangable and only bear superficial resemblence. The value of Lurie's configurations is in superior optical performance, which in all aspects except distortion rival that of a true Schmidt camera, and in the applicability of converting smaller Newtonian configurations into first-class astrographs.- Page 145, Section 14.4, the book omits to mention that Ross-type correctors can be used in conjunction with hyperboloidal primary mirrors, resulting in anastigmatic flat-field astrographs (offered by Takahashi of Japan). Since full-aperture correctors are not practical for large Newtonian-like configurations, vast number of amateurs with telescopes larger than 10-inches in diameter could convert their instruments to high quality astrocameras. Suitable correctors, other than the Ross, have also been investigated and implemented on existing observatory Newtonian systems. Availability of their design and analysis would be of paramount importance to serious amateur observers and astrophotographers.Mladen K. Vranjican ... Read more

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Product Description
This is a hands-on book for the amateur who has always wanted to make a refractor. The author adopts the role of coach and guides the reader, step by step, through all aspects of making a doublet lens; from the characteristics of glass, abrasives, and pitch to methods for mounting the finished lens. The author's spreadsheet programs, included on CD-ROM, provide a direct approach to designing a well corrected lens. For those not interested in lens design, prescriptions are provided for several lenses ranging in aperture from 3 to 8 inches. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An excellent reference book for the ATM'er!
An excellent reference book for the ATM'er wanting to expand his horizons and knowledge. Whether you want to build your first refractor, make optical flats or just gain an understanding what goes into the making of a refractor lens- it's a great book. ... Read more

Product Description
Stargazing is an activity that lasts a lifetime. There’s nothing like the thrill of glimpsing Saturn’s rings for the first time or seeing, with the aid of a simple pair of binoculars, a fuzzy patch in the sky resolve into a cluster of sparkling stars. The Backyard Stargazer will help you discover new wonders in the night sky, whether you observe from a lounge chair in your backyard, a camp set up far from city lights, or a ship’s deck on a special "stargazing cruise."

Written in a conversational, accessible style, The Backyard Stargazer is a down-to-earth guide to observing the night (and daytime!) sky without having to invest in a lot of equipment.

You’ll discover:

• What you need to get started: a clear night, a red-light flashlight, and a copy of The Backyard Stargazer to guide your observing sessions
• Seasonal star maps to help you spot constellations—and more—year round
• Things you never knew about the Moon, Sun, and planets
• What causes an eclipse and how you can travel to see one
• How stars are born and where comets come from
• How to photograph auroras, meteors, and constellations
• What you can see with the naked eye, binoculars, and—when you’re ready—a small telescope

Includes 46 easy projects for planet-watching, moon-viewing, and constellation-spotting! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

A Fine Primer For Stargazing
Stargazing for beginners.A fun guide to connecting with the universe.A great aid to new telescope owners.

Stars n Moon
This was a great way to learn about the stars, planets, and moon.I absolutely enjoyed it!

A great astronomy primer - very highly recommended
I think it is everyone's hope when purchasing an introductory book, that it will not only serve as a handy reference for new and unfamiliar topics, but will also work as a framework within which your own curiosities gain direction and purpose."Backyard Stargazer" achieves this impressively.

It is rare to find an introductory text that covers a sufficient range of topics at the appropriate level of detail.The author must constantly walk a fine line between over-generalizing and providing too many details to properly digest the key messages in the text.Again, "Stargazer" impresses with a well thought-out flow of information that covers topics from the best times to see Mars to qualifying the purchase of optics.To top it off, key information is summarized in tables at the back of the book for quick reference, so it is quite easy, for instance, to find where the nearest and soonest eclipse is relative to your location - without having to thumb through the entire book looking for it.

The icing on the cake is the professional, aesthetically pleasing manner in which the presentation is managed.This book far exceeded my expectations, and it will continue to be an oft-consulted resource as I pursue my new hobby.

My highest recommendations.

great for beginnings
If you have ever looked to the skies at night and wanted to know more this is the book to start with. It answers most of the questions easily and educates in a fascinating style. Regardless if you have a Telescope or night.

Read this and you will be able to sound like an expert next time you are out with your friends peering into the night sky!

Nelson Murdoch
01-08

Very comprehensive!
I bought this book after recieving my first telescope as a gift.I had no clue what I was doing with it.This book taught me to start with the basics.It includes 'assignments' that really help get you some experience.I deffinatley recommend it! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Best set of books for telescope making
I had all three of these at one time and would rate them all higer if I could,, I ground many mirrors and lenses with the info from these,,,

The final member of the trilogy
Amateur Telescope Making Book Three published by Scientific American and edited by Ingalls is the last in a series of three books devoted to the science of telescope making. Published in 1953, It is fascinating, but severely dated.

This work is a compilation of articles on such varied topics as High Vacuum equipment and spectroscopy. While dated, It nevertheless contains much worthwhile information and would be a welcome addition to any collection on the topic.

My favorite chapter is the Editors Chapter at the end of the book. It contains biographical information on most of the regular contributiors.

This book should not be confused with an authoritative treatise on modern methods of optical fabrication, but as a history leading to how we got to where we are today.

Francis J. O'Reilly

A Classic - Dated, but good reference
This book was written in the first half of the 20th Century, as one of three related volumes.In 1996, publisher Willmann-Bell rearranged the hodge-podge collection of articles, into a more logically arranged edition, also of three volumes.This first volume deals exclusively with: Newtonian Mirror Making, Optical Testing, Workshop Wisdom and Observatory Buildings.

Together, these stand-alone articles detail the thoughts, methods and techniques of that bygone era.A modern reader might find such practices "primative" these days, but one must remember that using the simplest of tools and measurements, ordinary (non-technical) folk were able to produce some excellent optics.

Still, this should no longer be considered a beginner's book of telescope making.Though the general concepts and principles remain, the actual materials, fabrication techniques and measurement methods have greatly improved, or at least no longer apply to the text.Instead, this book should be considered as a resource for ATM's with some actual experience, and who might have the historical or technical curiosity to see how others accomplished marvels a century before, without the benefit of personal computers, light emitting diodes, or off-the-shelf telescope hardware.

I AGREE WITH TODD ANDERSON
I also started making my own telescope in 1968 and wanted to use the most complete book on the subject (and so I chose ATM because it was promoted by Scientific American).I later realized that it was too technical, difficult to understand, and much of it was OUTDATED ALREADY IN 1968. They just keep printing it because it still sells.And it still sells because people still ignorantly think that if it has Scientific American's endorsement, it must be the best (just like I thought).

If you are a beginner, don't waste your money on this...If you are a pro at telescope making, then you may benefit from ATM, but that's about it.

--George Stancliffe

If you really want these books, try the used book sites
I made my first two telescope mirrors using (or in spite of) the information I found the original ATM Volumes I and II put out by Scientific American.There were a lot interesting tidbits but you had to mine forthem thru a hodge podge of material that Ingalls thrown together (he evenstated that books one and two he edited were in no particular order).Butmuch of the information in these books was already obsolete by the time Imade my first mirrors in 1968. There is much talk in the original booksabout using HCF "honeycomb lap foundations" as a quick (andinferior) polishing lap, making your own abrasives, making your owneyepieces and alike, that even 40 years had long since been abandoned.Ieven think these books discouraged as many people as they encouraged tomake their own telescopes, a point of view I share with the great JohnDobson There are far better, easier to understand books available todaysuch as "Build your own Telescope" by Richard Berry, "MakingYour Own Telescope" by Allen Thompson (written about the same time asthe ATM books but far easier to follow), and of course the classic"How to Make a Telescope" by Jean Texereau. I have reviewed thethe new editions reedited and reorganised by Willmann-Bell, and while theyare a valiant attempt to resurect these tombs, what I found was a lot ofthe tidbits to be found in the later (post 1950) editions were gone.Iwould advise the novice if you've really gotten the bug to build a scope ofyour own from the primary mirror up, to get a hold of one or better yet ofthe all books I've listed above before you invest in the new edition of theATM books. If your still interested in seeing what was in the originalbooks try the used book sites on the web. There are still a number of themout there at reasonable prices from checking myself before I wrote thisreview.They are interesting to look thru to see what techniques andmaterials use to be used, but I would not want to make my first telescopeagain from them. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

User Friendly
This is one of the first astronomy books I bought.I've had it for over 20 years.Originally published in 1967, some of the distances are inaccurate but then again, our knowledge of the galaxy and universe is constantly "expanding".A wealth of information is here.The first two chapters are dedicated to telescopes.Other chapters explore Celestial Geography, Time, The Sun and Moon, The Planets, Occultations, Eclipses, The Stars--Single, Double, Variable etc...My favorite part of this book has to be the Star Atlas at the back.All of the constellations are shown on 14 different maps.Also included are overlays that show where galaxies, star clusters, Messier objects, etc.. are located in these constellations.Following that is an alphabetical list of 234 named stars.Their type, apparent magnitude, location, position and distance are noted.Then there are listings of Visual Binaries, Short Period Variables, Open Star Clusters, Globular Clusters, Periodic Comets and the complete Messier Catalog.I'm glad I bought this book because I haven't seen it since.Whether you're a beginner or amateur I think you will find this book a worthy addition to your astronomy library. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Ideal Book for New Astronomers...
and even for those, like myself, who've been away from this wonderful hobby for a while and need a guide to the night sky.

My introduction to Mr. Muirden was his previous work, "How to Use an Astonomical Telescope," and even more than the thorough and detailed listings of double stars, clusters, nebulae and galaxies provided, it was his love of observing these celestial objects and his desire to share them with others which really impressed me.He has the ability to not only make you want to see for yourself what he is describing, but gently and almost imperceptively gives you the confidence to be able to find them without the need for a go-to telescope by starhopping.

"Astronomical Telescope" is meant for beginners, but more experienced observers will benefit greatly from it and not it outgrow anytime soon.I find "Small Telescope" geared even more for beginners in the early chapter on equipment, and subsequent chapters are less detailed than the ones covering the same subjects.The reason for this is that the author takes it from the perspective of using a true beginner's telescope (a 60mm refractor), unlike "AT" which makes no such assumption (in fact, observable objects are mentioned in that book as needing certain size telescopes to see them, or being difficult with such-and-such an aperture).

The things I love about "ST" is, first of all, the author's style of writing, which is the same in each of his works that I have (I also own his book on binocular astronomy).Truly "British" in his attention to detail, not leaving anything out which might be of use to the reader, but done elegantly and showing respect to the intelligence of the beginning observer.

Most books on astronomy that we find in North America are naturally void of most sights in the southern hemisphere, since observers from these latitudes simply can't see them.The beauty of "ST" is that both northern and southern (Australia/New Zealand and southern Africa) astronomers have equal time.Monthly sky charts showing the brightest visually observable stars are included for both and a detailed area is given for each month to starhop to the highlights for that time of year.This fact shouldn't be quickly dismissed; the reason I bought this book was that I bought a very good 66mm Apo refractor to get back to observing, and find that the small size means I can take it and a lightweight altazimuth mount on an airplane easily.One of my goals is to eventually travel somewhere to see the Megallanic Clouds and other sights quite a bit south of the equator.None of the books I had previously could really be used for a trip like this with the exception of Mr. Muirden's "AT" which lists objects of the far southern sky, although it doesn't have the monthly southern sky maps to locate them easily.

I really like the way the moon is presented for observing in this book, with a photo as you'd see itat different phases on one page and a drawing of the same view with names of craters and mountain ranges opposite for easy reference.

Finally, each object listed has a description and is noted as being a binocular (B) or small telescope (T) object, so that those who are using only binoculars will be able to use this volume as well.The number of deep sky objects to be observed will suprise you.

I guess you can tell by the length of this review that I highly recommend this book.Sadly, it is out of print, but seems to be available at a bargain price from a number of used book dealers here on Amazon.I paid $0.69 plus $4.00 for shipping for my near brand-new copy. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

A classic reference, but a bit dry...
After 50 years, this still probably packs more historical fact in one place than any other book on the history of telescopes.But it's also dry reading.Great for the serious amateur, but not for the casual reader.If you're looking for an entertaining historical account, that includes the politics and personalites behind the telescopes in addition to the dryer facts, try Fred Watson's new book, Stargazer: The Life and Times of the Telescope.

A somewhat dated reprint , but still excellent!
This is a case where the title pretty much says it all. This is a reprint of Henry C. King's classic , originally published in 1955.

The time span covers pretty much the beginnings of visual astronomy through the Mount Palomar 200" Hale telescope. A particularly interesting era is the 18th century , with many notable advances made in glass manufacture and beginning of very large reflecting telescopes in the hands of Sir William Herschel. As the author moves into the 19th century , the names of Joseph Fraunhofer and Alvan Clark take center stage.

The invention of many other auxilliary astronomical instruments are also included in this fine work.

There aren't many other works for comparison , so --- 5 stars! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A superb general reference (but somewhat dated)
I think this is a grand book for the amateur astronomer and telescope afficianado. Learner has done an excellent job of tracing the history of telescope development in a way that the layperson can follow easily. His descriptions of the personalities and personal histories of some of the key players in this development adds to the "interest factor" for the less technically-oriented history buff. Admittedly the book falls short because it was published in 1981 and so says nothing about the more recent development of the apochromatic refractor so popular in amateur astronomy these days. In fact, the chapter on amateur telescopes could be arguably much more complete and descriptive than it is since it really doesn't delve into the development of the MCT, the SCT, etc. But limitations on the treatment of amateur telescopes aside, this is a terrific book! ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (4)

A very nice and useful book.
I've been reading a lot of older books on telescope making, and this is one of the better ones. It is new enough, 1995, to avoid wasting time on making your own mirror. It focuses on how to use telescopes, basic principles, and general plans for 6 telescopes with extensive notes on a 7th. It's especially nice that the author is not an expert woodworker and the skill level required to build these scopes appears to be within the reach of an average person.

The projects described are as follows:

- Star tracker mount for a camera
- A simple 4-1/4" reflector with a PVC tube
- A 4-1/4" reflector with a wooden tube
- A 6-inch Equatorial mounted reflector
- An 8-inch f/5 reflector
- A 10" Dobsonian

And extensive notes and photos of a portable 8" Dobsonian using only two aluminum struts instead of a 8-tube truss or solid tube. If you're thinking of building a telescope, this book is well worth a look.

Complex but essential for INTERMEDIATE ATM'ers
I have to say at first i was dissapointed. I bought this book as a beginer telescope maker and i had to put it away. Then i bought Richard Berry's book and was enlightened. This is not to say that i don't like this book.If you have some experience with tools and wood i would suggest this bookfirst. Or if you have made at least one telescope before, i would alsosuggest this book. Robert Miller & Wilson have many insights andexamples but in many places they leave you on your own. Fortunately i havea degree in physics and was able to do fine on my own. One of my favoriatescopes was built using 3 of his plans mixed together. If you have a basicidea or have made scopes before... this is the best book to buy. If youhave never made a scope before and are just getting into this field ofastronomy, do yourself a favor and get Richard Berry's book.. (also here onamazon.com) But i promise that if you buy this book later on, you will behappy. If you buy it now,you will get frustrated. What Robert Miller &Wilson did teach me was to, above all, enjoy the scope you make!!

Excellent material on building your own telescope
This book makes it easier to understand the great hobby of Amatuer Telescope Making.I read this book from front to back, twice!Included in this book are easy to follow instructions on making six very usable amatuer telescopes.A must for any astronomer's bookshelf.Also included is a great chapter on a portable 8" reflecting telescope,designed by Bob Scholtz.

Well worth the price
This book is very imformative and useful to the beginning telescope maker.It does not describe mirror grinding or optical testing but very thoroughly explains construction, design, and tips for making 10 inch or less telescopes ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

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This book by one of the leaders in adaptive optics covers the fundamental theory and then describes in detail how this technology can be applied to large ground-based telescopes to compensate for the effects of atmospheric turbulence. It includes information on basic adaptive optics components and technology, and has chapters devoted to atmospheric turbulence, optical image structure, laser beacons, and overall system design. The chapter on system design is particularly detailed and includes performance estimation and optimization. Combining a clear discussion of physical principles with numerous real-world examples, this book will be a valuable resource for all graduate students and researchers in astronomy and optics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Traveler
When I asked an astronomer what book he recommended for adaptive optics he disappeared into the control room and returned with 'Hardy'.

If you are a technical person---read this book first. Than Roddier...

The book is a must for readers interested in adaptive optics
The book does an excellent job of describing the basic principles and the practice of adaptive optics for astronomical applications.The author was a pioneer in adaptive optics and in the 1970s he built the first systemcapable of compensating a large astronomical telescope at visiblewavelengths.The book gives a good history of adaptive optics including anexcellent bibliography.Wavefront sensors, correctors, laser beacons, andwavefront reconstruction and control systems are described.Currentadaptive optics programs are described and future prospects are discussed. I had the good fortune of working with the author at the time the firstadaptive optics system was built and the author conveys in this book theexcitement we felt about adaptive optics at that time.While the book isvery specialized and technical, and the number of readers who will enjoythe book is limited, if you are interested in adaptive optics the readingof this book is a must. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Another Great Book For Mirror Makers
When I got into making my 16" mirror in the 80's, though I had the book by Allyn J. Thompson, I wanted something more up to date. I'd thought of the Jean Texereau book but was scared away by the math (I've since learned it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be). So, I saw this book in Willmann Bell and ordered it. It was a real treat to get it as I was living in Spain at the time and books like this were not available in the base bookstore.

The book is very well laid out and informative. The instructions are simple and not overly technical. It was a real pleasure to have this book as a guide because it covered larger mirrors that the Thompson book didn't. It worked great until I got to the mirror testing part, and had trouble with the Focault testing because I was having problems with astigmatism. My mirror was quite thin, and I wasn't used to the extreme shadows I was seeing. A friend in Minneapolis St. Paul came to the rescue and sent me a Ronchi grating of the proper spacing. The lines on my mirror looked like a butterfly! No wonder the Focault shadows didn't look right! In that respect, the book didn't help, but once I got the lines straighter, the Focault method Howard outlines works just fine.

This book also has a lot of extra stuff that really came in handy when it came to making the scope after the mirror was done. Howard did a great job and this is another book to add to your library if you are at all interested in mirror making. Highly recommended.

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Product Description
A Telescope on Society illustrates the impact that developments in survey research have had and continue to have on a broad range of social science disciplines and interdisciplinary areas, ranging from political behavior and electoral systems to macroeconomics and individual income dynamics, mental and physical health, human development and aging, and racial/ethnic diversity and relationships.
James S. House is Director of the Survey Research Center at the Institute for Social Research, the University of Michigan. F. Thomas Juster is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Economics at the University of Michigan. Robert L. Kahn is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan. Howard Schuman is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Sociology at the University of Michigan. Eleanor Singer is Senior Research Scientist in the Survey Research Center at the University of Michigan.
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Customer Reviews (1)

A welcome addition to social science studies shelves
Collaboratively edited by the team of research academicians and collegues in the Survey Reserch Center of the Institute for Social Reserch at the University of Michigan that includes James S. House, F. Thomas Juster, Robert L. Kahn, Howard Schuman, and Eleanor Singer, A Telesocpe On Society: Survey Reserach & Social Science at The University of Michigan & Beyond examines how developments in survey research have influenced social science disciplines and interdisciplinary areas. The effects of improved survey analysis on the studies of everything from political behavior to individual income dynamics, mental and physical health, aging issues, relationships, racial and ethnic diversity, and much more are all discussed in scholarly and scientific detail. A welcome addition to social science studies shelves.
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Product Description
Featuring two hundred spectacular full-color photographs, the first pictures from the four-story Hubble Space Telescope provide a dramatic look at the universe over twelve billion years. Tour. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Pure Poetry
I can't even begin to describe the affect this book has had on my way of thinking in regards to the universe we live in and my own mortality.Before I read this book(a billion times)I was always interested in theuniverse and what was out there.A co-worker heard of my interest andbought me this book as a Christmas present.I thought, "wow.prettycool".But in no way was I ready for the abundance if informationplaced at my disposal by this book.I'm just in awe when I read it.Theauthor really does seem to have passion about our universe and it showed inthe writing.The descriptions and hypotheticals are so vivid.You don'thave to be some genious to understand what this book is telling you but itdoesn't come of as "kiddy" either.To me that is what makes itso wonderful.It gives you the feeling that someone has actually traveledto the ends of the universe and their just telling you what it was like. Even the chapter on Earth is suprisingly very interesting.It gave me anew appreciation(and fear) for this planet.So calm and unassuming incomparison to other planets.But so powerful to all it's inhabitants. "Before our universe existed, there was no past, present, or future. Space did not exist, nor did vacuum.There was nothing-even dark cannotexist without light".wow

Breathtaking!
This book was, simply put, breathtaking.I don't know why someone would wish to sabotage the overall rating by giving this masterpiece one star...but clearly they were not reading the same book I was. To eachtheir own.I found the facts within the book quite accuratemyself....having read more than one hundred books of its kind and findingno inconsistencies.The pictures within the book itself weremagnificent and well placed throughout the book.The text itself was alsovery informative and showed that the author was very well versed in theways of the cosmos...both theoretically and factually.I highlyrecommend this book to anyone with interest in our cosmos.You won't bedissapointed.

Very little to do with the Hubble
This book actually shows very little understanding of the work done by Hubble or its relationship to other NASA missions.Many of the pictures attributed to the Hubble come from other missions; further, more than oneartist's rendition is given as a Hubble image.

great book
great pictures and text, a most have i give it a 5 out of

great book
great text and pictures, everything is perfect, and in the book the speed of light is typed as 186,000 m.p.h. or something, it is listed many times. ... Read more

Product Description
In an unnamed European village, in the middle of a civil war, one man digs while another watches over him. Slowly, they begin to talk. Over the course of the afternoon, as the snow falls and truckloads of villagers are corralled in the next field, we discover why they are there--not just who they are but also how sinister events in the country have led them to be separated by a deepening grave, and why the history of civilization is inseparable from the history of mass violence. Beautifully written, with a poet's eye for detail coupled with a chilling and compelling narrative drive, Schopenhauer's Telescope is current in the best sense--no thin allegory of today's conflicts, but a remarkable attempt to make art out of the brutality of life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Women and God
The absence of women in Gerard Donovan's Schopenhauer's Telescope functions as an absence of hope and later an absence of God.
The novel begins as the story of a baker digging a hole in an empty field in mid-winter while a history teacher smokes and talks to him. Little by little the horrific events that brought these characters together are revealed to the reader. Eventually truck loads of men and boys are dropped off, and soldiers show up with machine guns. The hole is to be a mass grave.
Donovan does not give any of his characters names. They are referred to by their professions: soldier, policeman, baker, teacher, reinforcing the philosophical idea first made popular by Simone DeBeauvoir, that `people are what they do,' a concept that will become key to the novel's political statement. Soon the baker and teacher are academically discussing the various things that men are compelled to do in war, and why they do them.
They recount various battles, taking on the roles of figures like Ghengis Kahn and talking to one another about strategy and ethics. It is unclear at first if the baker is a prisoner of the teacher--who might be working with the soldiers or vice versa. The revelation of who is digging the grave and working with the soldiers and who is going to be killed is revealed in their attitudes towards women. Donovan directly ties war, ethnic cleansing, violence and self hatred to misogyny. While digging the grave, the baker recites an entire alphabet of derogatory words and vicious intent to remove all the women in the world.
"U is for Uterus piled in scrapyards," he says and "X is for roadblocks that capture the last of them." The baker, who has betrayed the people in the town he is from by collaborating with foreign soldiers in a campaign of ethnic cleansing, recounts how he has humiliated women using strategies he learned from The Art of War.
Donovan describes the soldiers as being consumed by violence, weapons, war, self-destruction, their intimacy with these things is like a marriage. This is revealed symbolically when a soldier is feeding ammunition into a machine gun, his bandaged left hand stained with a band of blood like a wedding ring.
The teacher is terrified at the absence of women--the soldiers have taken them somewhere, done something with them. He hasn't seen his wife in two days. He finally drops all academic conversations with the baker, which he had been carrying on to get information, and breaks down weeping. He demands to know what has happened to his wife. He recounts his love for her which is not typically idealized--but is a memory of them running side by side together on a track-- strong and happy in the summer heat.
In the teacher's vision of the world women are essential, loved, respected, desired for many reasons.He detests misogyny and tells baker that men "say they love women but don't even like them."
"My wife is my friend!" he cries. "I miss my friend."
Just before the plots culmination the teacher revelas: "I tried to think what god might have been or could be. A child, a girl wandering in me, an instinct of what is right and good. I have seen her often then if that's what God is. One day a hand will slip into mine and a voice will say I've found you."Donovan presents explicitly and symbolically a world where only unity between men and women, one in which we walk hand in hand will begin to address the deepest human atrocities and divisions.

An original, if sometimes unfocused, debut novel about war and human cruelty
When war comes to a small European town, the aftermath of the invasion and the town's occupation finds two men in a field on a cold and snowing day with soldiers and citizens milling about in the distance waiting for something to happen. That something seems to a grave being dug by "the baker" (and narrator) while the "the teacher" stands around watching. Throughout the narrative the two men discuss philosophy and the nature of human cruelty throughout human history from Genghis Kahn to Nazi Germany - all while "the baker" digs his hole. Eventually, the discussion comes around to the role that each man has played in the recent violence.

At times, this book is brilliant. To begin a brief chapter titled *Winter*, Donovan writes: "One thing you learn about deep cold, it has a cousin called silence that follows it in the door whenever it comes to visit. Even the strike of a shovel against stone doesn't long survive cold. Nothing does. Your breath is caught and frozen in flight, your speech splits open a second out of the throat, your words break in the cocoon of your sentences." But, at other times, the story looses focus and the narrator goes off on tangents a bit too far afield to fully fit with the story at hand.

Even with its faults, this book is worth the energy invested in its reading and there are real insights to be gleamed from its pages.

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A Guide to my Rating System:

1 star = The wood pulp would have been better utilized as toilet paper.
2 stars = Don't bother, clean your bathroom instead.
3 stars = Wasn't a waste of time, but it was time wasted.
4 stars = Good book, but not life altering.
5 stars = This book changed my world in at least some small way.

"...the enemy never quite goes away"
First of all, I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Donovan at an Irish Studies conference five weeks ago. He explained that the novel tackles the question of betrayal and loyalty when faced suddenly with life or death. What would you do, he wondered, if a brutal army invaded your town and, in the course of a few hours, took control? If they offered you the chance to survive if you collaborated, and pointed out your neighbors to the enemy, would you do it?The novel that explores this conflict had just been optioned for a screenplay. I told him that this very novel happened to be on my list of novels "to read next." He asked me, when I read it, to think about how it could be transferred from print to screen. My observations, therefore, issue from a different vantage point than the previous ten reviews posted here.

Samples of the prose, a précis of the plot, and reactions to the philosophically ruminative and historically enriched dialogue between the Baker and the Schoolteacher are all noted by fellow reviews. How inert, or how lively, is this snowy afternoon's exchange of ideas, emotions, and tension? Donovan's book reminds me-- as with stories from many modern and contemporary Irish writers-- more of Central European than, say British or American, fiction. (I have also reviewed on Amazon a novel that I read immediately prior: Donovan's newest novel, "Julius Winsor," that shares with "Schopenhauer's Telescope" a wintry climate, flinty characters, and a reduction of emotion and ideas to a life-and-death struggle as grief battles with revenge.) Donovan delves on intellectual pursuits, existential meditations, and spiritual longing. The wishes of the protagonist and antagonist-- and without revealing the end of the narrative's arc it can still be admitted that these positions fluctuate-- may not be fulfilled over the space of this November 25th. In this, realism provides a bleak slab of a frozen foundation, a terrible fate in flight from which aspirations roam and towards which horrors are impelled to return. So, how dramatically promising is this novel of ideas?

Potentially, the digressions into the Baker's playful defense of his goods from the assaults of Mrs. Policeman, the re-creation of the Shoemaker's testimony, and the mock screenplay and acting-out of the "You Are There" scenarios of the Mongol invasions by Genghis Khan seem, if digressive from the core plot on the page, most theatrically adaptable. The chilling fairy tale of Mathilde and Torson, the discourse on the epistemology of "holes," or the re-telling of the battle at Wounded Knee, however, may simply remain distractions. The brutal rendering of the WW2 bombing of Dresden graphically darkens earlier chapters of this intentionally somewhat disjointed and fragmented narrative. "The people prayed to God and the Devil answered." The torments of thousands of Germans serve as an epitaph for this novel's own pawns caught up in a war between neighbors and nationalities that individuals cannot resist-- at least if they wish to remain alive.

Their testimonies, as victims educated from their own readings of accounts from centuries of barbarity, may work better for a monologue, as that which perhaps the author himself (as he notes in closing) had heard from a survivor of the German firestorm, but within a cinematic dramatization I assume fewer of such raw memories will be included.

The book shifts in its illustration of the nightmare of history which traps those who cannot awaken. But, such intelligent speculation rarely lasts long within a conventional film that rejects documentary for at least the appearance of drama. "My Dinner with Andre," "Decalogue" (the original!) "Mindwalk," "Swept Away": few movies succeed and few viewers prefer those that dare to enter the realm of the mind, or reenact the verbal (as opposed to the military or diplomatic or superhero) showdown of opposing ideologies. Contrary to some of the blurbs on the jacket, I find little of the despairing wit of Flann O'Brien here, but I do agree that Kafkaesque shadows loom. Sun Tzu, David Hume, Matthew Paris, John Locke, and King Leopold's minions provide credited context. Beckett, Bernhard, Danilo Kis, Klima, Camus offer subtler comparisons: after these formidable line-ups, Donovan follows with his ambitious tale. In his novel, there is nearly no action, rather a staged set-piece: digger and interrogator, the captive and the coerced, in the hole and on its rim.

There are two brief chapters that, each in two pages, forcefully present evidence that the author's three books of poetry that preceded Donovan's debut novel endured in the language he uses. His fiction and his verse distill varied and arcane learning. While this penchant in Donovan's novels allows him arguably too much room at times for his expositions, amid the frequent digressions, he creates here a couple of passages of a couple of paragraphs each that merit particular acclaim. One reduces all that Molly Bloom articulated in the long closing of "Ulysses" to a powerful expression of what women really want but what men cannot give. The other passage, and this perhaps may entice Hollywood's special effects, sums up neatly and messily what would be the final thoughts and demands from we earthlings if an asteroid was about to pulverize our planet. The compression in these sections I think works better than what in other chapters takes many digressive (albeit often informative and lively for the kind of reader who will choose ST) pages to reveal about the frailty and the boasts of humans trapped within impassive forces.

Ultimately, perhaps better to ponder here such long evocations of pedagogical futility and personal fidelity, and the challenges that survival vs. friendship present those faced with sudden necessity to choose their life over their loyalties, their self-preservation rather than their presumed patriotism or assumed allegiance. As with "Julius Winsor," the core of Donovan's tale could have generated a longish short story rather than a short novel. For both his novels, this formal distinction is crucial. Some readers will welcome the extended forays into reenactments and recollections. Others will impatiently await a return to the central conflict. On screen, perhaps more bombs, more guns, more noise, more shenanigans, more playfulness in the self-consciously awkward "characters" that the two interlocutors take on. This role-playing aspect, in the novel, works sporadically. It may, however, succeed better if fleshed out by competent actors!

The two main characters deepen and their interior selves emerge as the novel progresses over the course of the afternoon, but it remains difficult for me, as a reader, to fully believe in their frequent lapses into dutiful student and hectoring teacher, eager lecturer and skeptical matriculator. Donovan's tone shifts about, and while this uneasiness may be versimilitude for the disturbance both characters feel-- as the reader learns may be for different reasons than were earlier suggested-- it does jar the placement of weighty ultimatums and recurring dangers that, as the novel ponders, threaten our fragile bodies and deluded souls. It appears as if the comic element, in the existentialist tradition of many of his influences, grapples uncertainly-- given the latitude offered a novelist rather than an essayist-- with the conventionally saturnine ideologues who inform Donovan's speculations. Again, this narrative displacement may be pro forma for serious European-inspired fiction, but in transferring this to characters that tumble, leap, and hiss rather than dig, chat, and shiver, the screenplay may have to sacrifice the depth that Donovan strives to excavate as he digs into the shattered European past.

It would be a shame if "Schopenhauer's Telescope" is retracted on screen into distortion of Donovan's grave intentions-- or ground down for a shallower, more superficial in both senses of the word, presentation. I applaud the potential exposure of ST by a film and trust that it will do justice to its source. This novel, while it remains ultimately and perhaps intentionally unstable, deserves attention for the erudition, energy, and emotion it extracts from a cold, isolated, and bitter scenario.

Wonderful, yet different
I bought this book over a year ago and didn't get around to reading it until this Thanksgiving. I'm glad I did!What a great novel!Donovan draws you in from the first page and doesn't let go.The story is so much more than a tale of a war-stricken country.It dives deep into the complex nature of humans.The concept of Schopenhauer's Telescope is new to me (you dont' find out what Schopenhauer's Telescope is until 2/3 into the book), but is something that will not escape me anytime soon. This book will make you think about, reflect upon, and thoughtfullly consider many topics that don't come up in day to day conversation. The book itself is like a diary, with the author revealing a dark secret every few pages. Highly recommended to all.

Read this now.
When I first read this book in autumn of 2003, I was struck by how relevant it seemed to the issues of the time.As months and finally a year passed, its passages came back to me again and again, with greater force each time.It was as though the real world outside this novel was warping to meet the dark setting of the fiction.

Read this book, and go back and read again the accounts of torture at Abu Ghraib.Read this book, and seek out the stories of those who lived through the torments of Saddam's Iraq.Or just turn on CNN (better yet, Fox News), mute the sound, and read this book.This novel could be the critical comment to any real-time story of power and cruelty.There is no shortage of such stories now.

I gave this book only four out of five stars because I've shared it with friends who are less interested in poetry than I am, and they have found it a fairly slow read.That was not my experience, but it might be yours.

Above its obvious parallels to a world at war, this book's more lasting value is its presentation of two characters who are at odds with each other, and at each other's mercy.I didn't see a protagonist and an antagonist in this story:I saw two central characters (and a surrounding world) with nothing left to win.When our differences are the only things that define us, all that was once of value is lost to us.The battle against one another is all we have left, and even that is worthless.

Read this book, red staters and blue staters, and try to figure out which side of the ditch you're on.Try to figure out who's right and who's wrong, and about what, and why any of it matters.I won't guarantee that you'll see yourself or anyone you know in these pages; chances are that you won't.But there may be a time when a scene from this book will come back to you, throwing its odd light on a world that few of us have looked at clearly in a long time.

Happy New Year to Amazonians everywhere.Let's be kinder to each other in 2005. ... Read more