J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 107, 1, 1997, p.43
Cambridge University Press, 1996. ISBN 0-521-49518-0. Pp 214, £16.95 (hbk).
reviewed by Roger O'Brien
I liked the cover. The commendably brief prologue whetted my appetite and the opening chapters got on with the job of placing black holes in a popular context. Kitty Ferguson marshals her arguments well, taking a bite at a time and giving the reader the opportunity to digest before cramming in the next. She deals with the theory of black holes and the observational evidence for their existence. Among the best of her many analogies is the one where she shrinks the Earth before your very eyes: showing how the force of gravity increases as the size decreases and she reminds you frequently that the force at the old original radius does not change. Few writers make that point so clearly.
My only major criticism is of the typeface used in the diagrams and drawings. This is large, clumsy and difficult to read. The actual diagrams are rather good. A particular pleasure for me was the author's continence in keeping speculation about wormholes, time travel, white holes and the like to a couple of brief chapters at the end. The structure of the book was better than any other 'black hole' I remember reading.
Kitty Ferguson trained in music, but enjoys a 'lifelong interest' in physics and maths. The accessibility of her style may owe much to her vantage point. Her text is carefully thought out, vivid and accurate. Her target audience seems to be a wide one. From the later years at junior school onwards, I think most readers could at least tackle this book. Those with a real interest would enjoy it.
A sensible index and suggestions for further reading round the whole thing off nicely. I am glad I read it.
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