J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 106, 3, 1996
Harper Collins, 1995. ISBN 0-00-220028-7. Pp 288, £14.99 (Hbk).
reviewed by Don Miles
A quick perusal of this volume set me reaching for my copy of A Field Guide to the Stars and Planets by Donald Menzel, also published by Collins (1975), since this volume appears to set out to be its successor. However, Levy includes nearly one hundred pages of material on history, instruments, various astronomical objects and observing techniques. These are followed by well written sections on understanding changes in the heavens and on finding your way around. Some twenty or so pages are allocated to compass oriented sky maps, with individual constellation charts following; sections on the solar system and appendices on various subjects conclude the book.
In the early parts of the book, the use of info boxes has been much more intelligently arranged than in many similar volumes I have seen, complementing the text rather than providing continual interruptions to the flow of the main chapter. This is not an easy objective to achieve. Also the temptation to stretch illustrations across facing pages has been largely, though not totally, resisted. If a picture is only worth tearing in half and then sticking together again in poor register, I feel it is arguable if it is worth using at all!
The charts of the constellations form almost one third of the book, and are obviously intended to be its heart. A neat touch is the logo of an outstretched hand, indicating how many 'hands' will cover the entire constellation from side to side. I can recall that translating the scale on paper to the real sky provided just about the most difficult part of learning the sky as a beginner. The maps are cross-referenced to the altitude/azimuth charts. I also liked the simple symbols given by the list of objects shown on each chart to indicate if an object was visible in binoculars or whether a telescope was necessary. A naked eye symbol is included where appropriate!
One or two interesting ideas have been introduced elsewhere in the book. For example an index and glossary is combined at the end, which, when I asked a non-astronomer to simply look up the first ten expressions she did not understand, provided the answers to her questions directly, or the pages to which to turn for the answers.
Any attempt at cramming so much into so few pages is fraught with danger, of course, and any reviewer would find something they would have done differently themselves. One unfortunate lapse is a superb auroral photograph that will make an entry into my local Society's Christmas Quiz with the title 'Spot the "deliberate" mistake'. A more important shortcoming occurs in the sections on 'Space Places and Organizations', with only two British listings, one being the BAA. The software section could reasonably have been enlarged as there are many excellent programs on the market, and the only PC recommendation would be far from my choice of program for the beginner.
All that being said, Levy's credentials to write such a book are unquestionable, and his prose flows clearly and smoothly along. If you need a present for someone who wants to start learning their way around the night sky, then this book can certainly be recommended.
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