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Selected book reviews from the JBAA

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  • Stargazing for Dummies by Steve Owens,
    Wiley, 2013. ISBN 978-11184-1156-8. Pp 332, £12.99 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Bob Mizon

  • Heart of Darkness: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Invisible Universe by Jeremiah P. Ostriker & Simon Mitton,
    Princeton University Press, 2013. ISBN 978-0-691-13430-7. Pp xxi + 299, £19.95 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Rosalind Armson

  • Observing the Solar System: The modern astronomer’s guide by Gerald North,
    Cambridge University Press, 2012. ISBN 978-0-521-89751-8. Pp xvi + 489, £30 (hbk).
    Reviewed by John Chuter

  • Are we being watched? : The search for life in the cosmos by Paul Murdin,
    Thames & Hudson, 2013. ISBN 978-0-500-516713. Pp 224, £16.95 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Roger O’Brien

  • Near-Earth Objects: Finding them before they find us by Donald K. Yeomans,
    Princeton University Press, 2013. ISBN 978-0-691-14929-5. Pp xiv + 172, £16.95 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Richard Miles

  • Grating Spectroscopes and How to Use Them by Ken M. Harrison,
    Springer (Patrick Moore’s Practical Astronomy Series), 2012. ISBN 978-1-4614-1396-7. Pp xvii + 167, £31.99 (pbk).
    Reviewed by David Arditti

  • The Star Atlas Companion: What you need to know about the Constellations by Philip M. Bagnall,
    Springer-Praxis, 2012. ISBN 978-1-4614-0829-1. Pp ix + 486, £40.99 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Roger Pickard

  • How to build a habitable planet (2nd edn.) by Charles H. Langmuir & Wally Broeker,
    Princeton University Press, 2012. ISBN 978-0691-14006-3. Pp 718+xvi, £27.95 (hbk).
    Reviewed by David Rothery

  • How to observe the Sun safely (2nd edn.) by Lee Macdonald,
    Springer, 2012. ISBN 978-1-4614-3824-3. Pp 214, £31.99 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Lyn Smith

  • Gravity's Engines: The Other Side of Black Holes by Caleb Scharf,
    Allen Lane, 2012. ISBN 978-1-846-14533-9. Pp 252, £20 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Roger O’Brien

  • Stargazers' Almanac: a Monthly Guide to the Stars and Planets 2013 by Bob Mizon,
    Floris Books, 2012. ISBN 978-086315-889-6. Pp 32, £14.99 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Ann Davies

  • The Star Book - How to understand Astronomy by Peter Grego,
    David & Charles, 2012. ISBN 978-1-4463-0239-2. Pp 160, £12.99 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Bob Mizon

  • Venus Seen on the Sun: the first observation of a transit of Venus by Jeremiah Horrocks tr.by Wilbur Applebaum,
    Brill History of Science & Medicine Library, 2012. ISBN 978-90042-21932, Pp. xxiv + 82, £85.54 (hbk).
    Reviewed by David Sellers

  • The Construction of the Heavens: William Herschel's Cosmology by Michael Hoskin,
    Cambridge University Press, 2012. ISBN 978-1-107-01838-9. Pp viii + 205, £65 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Mike Frost

  • Exoplanets: Finding, exploring, and understanding alien worlds by Chris Kitchin,
    Springer, 2012. ISBN 978-1-4614-0643-3. Pp xvi + 281, £26.99 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Richard Miles

  • Exploring Mars: Chronicles from a Decade of Discovery by Scott Hubbard,
    University of Arizona Press, 2012. ISBN 978-0-8165-2896-7. Pp xx + 194, $17.95 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Richard McKim

  • Patrick Moore’s Yearbook of Astronomy 2012 by Patrick Moore & John Mason,
    PanMacmillan, 2011. ISBN 978-0-230-75984-8. Pp xii + 474, £20.00 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Martin Mobberley

  • Transit of Venus: 1631 to the present by Nick Lomb
    New South Publishing, 2011. ISBN 9-7811742-232690. Pp 228, £47.95 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Mike Frost

  • The casual sky observer’s guide by Rony de Laet
    Springer, 2011. ISBN 978-1-4614-0594-8. Pp xiv + 292, £35.99 (A5 format, pbk).
    Reviewed by Geoffrey Johnstone

  • The chemical cosmos - a guided tour by Steve Miller
    Springer, 2011. ISBN 978-1-4419-8443-2. Pp xii + 236, £26.99 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Roger O’Brien

  • Exoplanets by by Sara Seager (Ed), assisted by Renée Dotson, with 34 collaborating authors
    University of Arizona Press, 2011. ISBN 978-0-8165-2945-2. 282, Pp xviii + 526, $35 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Richard Miles

  • The complete guide to the Herschel Objects: Sir William Herschel’s star clusters, nebulae and galaxies by Mark Bratton
    Cambridge University Press, 2011. ISBN 978-0-521-76892-4. Pp xiii + 584, £45.00 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Nick Hewitt

  • Mapping the Universe: the interactive history of astronomy by Paul Murdin
    Carlton Books, 2011. ISBN 978-1-84732-885-4. Pp 124, £30.00 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Bill Leatherbarrow

  • Deep Sky Companions: The Secret Deep by Stephen J. O’Meara
    Cambridge University Press, 2011. ISBN 978-0-521-19876-9. Pp xiii + 483, £29.00 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Owen Brazell

  • Stargazers’ Almanac 2012: Monthly guide to the stars and planets Text by Bob Mizon
    Floris Books, 2010. ISBN 978-086315-817-9. A3 size opening to A2 size with metal-tagged eyelet (pbk). £12.00 post free from BAA Sales .
    Reviewed by Ann Davies

  • Strange New Worlds: The search for alien planets and life beyond our solar system by Ray Jayawardhana
    Princeton University Press, 2011. ISBN 978-0-691-14254-8. Pp 255, £16.95 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Richard Miles

  • Amateur radio astronomy (2nd edn) by John Fielding
    Radio Society of Great Britain, 2011. ISBN 978-1-905-08667-2. pp 375, £16.99 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Paul Hyde

  • The Cambridge atlas of Herschel Objects by James Mullaney & Wil Tirion
    Cambridge University Press, 2011. ISBN 978-0-521-13817-8. pp v + 183, £27.99 (pbk, spiral bound).
    Reviewed by Stewart Moore

  • Discoverers of the Universe: William and Caroline Herschel by Michael Hoskin
    Princeton University Press, 2011. ISBN 978-0-691-14833-5. Pp xvi + 237, £20.95 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Jacqueline Mitton

  • Galileo and 400 years of telescopic astronomy by Peter Grego & David Mannion
    Springer, 2010. ISBN 978-1-4419-5570-8. Pp. ix + 300, £27.50 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Mike Frost

  • Asteroids and dwarf planets and how to observe them by Roger Dymock
    Springer, 2010. ISBN 978-1-4419-6438-0. Pp. xiii + 248, £27.50 (pbk, available from BAA Sales).
    Reviewed by Ted Bowell

  • Cosmic Challenge: The ultimate observing list for amateurs by Philip S. Harrington.
    Cambridge University Press, 2011. ISBN 978-0521-89936-9. pp xi + 469, £27.50 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Callum Potter

  • Cometography: a catalog of comets. Vol.5: 1690-1982 by Gary W. Kronk & Maik Meyer
    Cambridge University Press, 2010. ISBN 978-0521-872263. pp xi + 820, £130.00 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Jonathan Shanklin

  • Europa by R. T. Pappalardo et al.
    University of Arizona Press, 2009. ISBN 978-0-816-528448. pp 720, £65.00 (hbk).
    Reviewed by John Rogers

  • Observing and cataloguing nebulae and star clusters by Wolfgang Steinicke
    Cambridge University Press, 2010. ISBN 978-0-521-19267-5. Pp xii + 648, £90 (hbk.)
    Reviewed by Lee Macdonald

  • Pluto - sentinel of the outer solar system by Barrie W. Jones
    Cambridge University Press, 2010. ISBN 978-0-521-19436-5. pp 231 + xii, £25.00 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Richard Miles

  • Atlas of the Galilean satellites by Paul Schenk
    Cambridge University Press, 2010. ISBN 978-0-521-868358. pp xi + 394, £95.00 (hbk).
    Reviewed by John Rogers

  • Stargazers’ Almanac 2011 Text by Bob Mizon
    Floris Books, 2010. ISBN 978-086315-757-8. A3 size opening to A2 size. £14.99 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Maurice Gavin

  • The life of stars by Giora Shaviv
    Springer, 2009. ISBN 978-3-642-02087-2. pp 504, £89.99 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Roger Pickard

  • The Big Questions: The Universe by Stuart Clark
    Quercus Books, 2010. ISBN 978-1-84916-238-8. pp 208, £12.99 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Steve Owens

  • A Question and Answer Guide to Astronomy by Pierre-Yves Bely, Carol Christian & Jean-René Roy
    Cambridge University Press, 2010. ISBN 978-0-521-18066-5. Pp xiv+280, £18.19 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Bob Mizon

  • The scientific exploration of Mars by Fredric W. Taylor
    Cambridge University Press, 2010. ISBN 978-0-521-82956-4. pp xiii+348, £30.00 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Bill Leatherbarrow

  • Deep-sky video astronomy by by Steve Massey & Steve Quirk
    Springer-Verlag, 2009. ISBN 978-0-387-87611-5. Pp xvi + 185, £22.99 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Andrew Elliott

  • Mathematical Astronomy Morsels V by Jean Meeus
    Willmann-Bell Inc (www.willbell.com), 2009. ISBN 987-0-943396-92-7. Pp 373, $29.95 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Sheridan Williams

  • The search for life continued - Planets around other stars by Barrie W. Jones
    Springer–Praxis, 2009. ISBN 978-0-387-76557-0. Pp xvii + 277, £19.99 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Mike Foulkes

  • The Six-inch Lunar Atlas by Don Spain
    Springer-Verlag, 2009. ISBN 978-0-387-87609-2. pp xvii+260, £19.99 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Nigel Longshaw

  • The 100 best astrophotography targets by Ruben Kier
    Springer-Verlag, 2009. ISBN 978-1-4419-0602-1. pp xxi + 360, £22.99 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Andrea Tasselli

  • Secrets of the Universe: How We Discovered the Cosmos by Paul Murdin
    Thames & Hudson, 2009. ISBN 978-0-500-25155-3. Pp 341, £24.95 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Lee Macdonald

  • The Caldwell Objects and how to observe them by Martin Mobberley
    Springer-Verlag, 2009. ISBN 978-1-4419-0325-9. pp xiv+273, £24.99 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Gordon Rogers

  • Portraits of astronomers by Lucinda Douglas-Menzies
    Cambridge University Press, 2009. ISBN 987-0-9561390-0-9. £12.50, large-format pbk.
    Reviewed by Ann Davies

  • Naming Pluto DVD by Ginita Jimenez
    Father Films 2009. £9.95.
    Reviewed by Ann Davies

  • Ancient Light: a portrait of the Universe by David Malin
    Phaidon Press, 2009. ISBN 978-07148-4932-4. pp127, £29.95 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Ron Arbour

  • Watchers of the Stars: the story of a revolution by Patrick Moore
    3rd edn, Horwood Publishing, 2009. ISBN 978-1-904275-44-2. Pp vi+186, £10.00 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Rosalind Armson

  • Galaxy by Stuart Clark
    Quercus Publishing, 2009. ISBN 978-1-84724-741-4. Pp 256, £25 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Roger Pickard

  • Solar Observer’s Handbook by Tony Broxton
    AuthorHouse UK Ltd, 2009. ISBN 978-1-4389-1140-3. Pp ii + 128, £26.99 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Peter Meadows

  • Unmasking Europa: The search for life on Jupiter's ocean moon by Richard Greenberg
    Springer/Copernicus, 2008. ISBN 978-0-387-47936-1. Pp x + 277, £17.50 (hbk).
    Reviewed by John Rogers

  • Totality - Eclipses of the Sun (3rd edn.) by by Mark Littmann, Fred Espenak & Ken Willcox
    Oxford University Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-19-953209-4. Pp xv + 341, £16.99 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Ann Davies

  • The Cambridge Double Star Atlas by James Mullaney & Wil Tirion
    Cambridge University Press, 2009. ISBN 978-0-521-49343-7. Pp 148, £27.50 (pbk, spiralbound).
    Reviewed by Martin Nicholson

  • The backyard astronomer's guide (3rd edn.) by Terence Dickinson & Alan Dyer
    Firefly Books, 2008. ISBN 1-55407-344-8. Pp 367, £30.00 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Mike Harlow

  • A passion for Mars by Andrew Chaikin
    Abrams Books (New York), 2008. ISBN 978-0-8109-7274-2. Pp 280, £19.99 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Richard McKim

  • The solar system beyond Neptune by M. Antonietta Barucci et al. (Eds.)
    University of Arizona Press, 2008. ISBN 0-8165-2755-5. Pp xix + 592, £70.00 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Richard Miles

  • Stargazing basics - getting started in recreational astronomy by Paul E. Kinzer
    Cambridge UniversityPress, 2008. ISBN 978-0-521-72859-1. Pp ix + 147, £11.99 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Hazel Collett

  • Atlas of the Messier Objects: Highlights of the Deep Sky by Ronald Stoyan et al.
    Cambridge University Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-521-89554-5. Pp 370, £35 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Nick Hewitt

  • Alien Volcanoes by Rosaly Lopes & Michael Carroll
    Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-8018-8673-7. Pp 152, £20.00 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Richard McKim

  • Deep Space: The universe from the beginning by Stuart Clark
    Quercus Publishing, London, 2008. ISBN 978-1-84724-405-5. Pp. 255, £25.00 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Bob Mizon

  • Hubble: Imaging Space and Time by David DeVorkin & Robert W. Smith
    National Geographic Books, 2008. ISBN 978-1426-20322-0. Pp 224 (large format), £30.00 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Roger Pickard

  • Cosmos: An Illustrated History of Astronomy and Cosmology by John North
    The University of Chicago Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-226-59441-5. Pp xxvi + 876, £20.50 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Lee Macdonald

  • Universe: stunning satellite imagery from outer space by Heather Couper
    Cassell Illustrated, 2007. ISBN 978-1-84403-437-6. Pp 287, 27×34cm, £30 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Ann Davies

  • British University Observatories 1772-1939 by Roger Hutchins
    Ashgate, 2008. ISBN 978-0-7546-3250-4. Pp xxiv + 533, £60 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Lee Macdonald

  • The Rough Guide to the Universe by John Scalzi
    Rough Guides Ltd, 2008. ISBN 9-781-84353-800-4. Pp vii+401, £10.99 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Neil Bone

  • Setting up a small observatory: from concept to construction by David Arditti
    Springer-Verlag, 2008. ISBN 978-0-387-34521-5. Pp xv + 235, £19 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Maurice Gavin

  • The history of astronomy by Heather Couper & Nigel Henbest
    Cassell Illustrated, 2007. ISBN 978-1-84403-570-0. Pp 288 (247 x 297mm), £30 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Carole Stott

  • The Haunted Observatory by Richard Baum
    Prometheus Books, New York, 2007. ISBN 9781-59102-512-2. Pp 416, £19.99 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Lee Macdonald

  • Cometography: a catalogue of comets, Volume 3 by Gary W. Kronk
    Cambridge University Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0-521-58506-4. Pp 650 + xvi, £150.00 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Jonathan Shanklin

  • Deep sky companions: Hidden Treasures by Stephen James O'Meara
    Cambridge University Press, 2007. ISBN 0-521-83704-9. Pp xvii + 584, £25.00 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Nick Hewitt

  • Mathematical astronomy morsels IV by Jean Meeus
    Willman-Bell Inc., 2007. ISBN 987-0-943396-87-3. Pp 373, $29.95 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Sheridan Williams

  • Observing the Moon (2nd edition) by Gerald North
    Cambridge University Press, 2007. ISBN 0-521-87407-6. Pp xi + 408, £25.00 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Tony Cook

  • Patrick Moore on the Moon by Sir Patrick Moore
    Cassell, 2006. ISBN 1-84403-536-0. Pp 239, £14.99 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Ron Johnson

  • Towards Mars! Extra by R. Pellinen & P. Raudsepp (Eds)
    Oy Raud Publishing (Helsinki, Finland), 2006. ISBN 952-9689-18-7. Pp 168, hbk.
    Reviewed by Richard McKim

  • The Herschel 400 Observing Guide by Stephen J. O'Meara
    Cambridge University Press, 2007. ISBN 0-521-85893-3. Pp x + 370, £35.00 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Lee Macdonald

  • Introduction to astronomical photometry by Edwin Budding & Osman Demircan
    Cambridge University Press, 2007. ISBN 0-521-84711-7. Pp xvi + 434, £45.00 (hbk).
    Reviewed by David Boyd

  • Nightwatch: A practical guide to viewing the Universe (4th edn) by Terence Dickinson
    A & C Black, 2006. ISBN 0-7136-7939-5. Pp 192, £29.99 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Martin Morgan-Taylor

  • The comet sweeper: Caroline Herschel's astronomical ambition by Claire Brock
    Icon Books, 2007. ISBN 1-84046-720-7. Pp x + 292, £9.99 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Lee Macdonald

  • The de Vaucouleurs atlas of galaxies by Ronald J. Buta, Harold G Corwin & Stephen C. Odewahn
    Cambridge University Press, 2007. ISBN 0-521-82048-0. Pp xii + 344, £70.00 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Stewart L. Moore

  • State of the Universe 2007: New images, discoveries and events by Martin Ratcliffe
    Springer/Praxis, 2007. ISBN 0-387-34178-1. Pp xiii + 187, £15.50 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Jacqueline Mitton

  • The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of the Stars by James B. Kaler
    Cambridge University Press, 2006. ISBN 0-521-81803-6. Pp ix + 324, £35.00 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Roger Pickard

  • Handbook of space astronomy and astrophysics by Martin V. Zombeck
    Cambridge University Press, 2007. ISBN 0-521-78242-2. Pp v + 767, £50.00 (hbk)..
    Reviewed by Richard Miles

  • The Stargazer of Hardwicke (The life and work of Thomas William Webb) by Janet & Mark Robinson (eds.)
    Gracewing Publishing (2 Southern Ave., Leominster, Hereford. HR6 0QF), 2006. ISBN 0-85244-666-7. Pp xxiv + 260, £14.99 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Don Miles

  • Meteor showers and their parent comets by Peter Jenniskens
    Cambridge University Press, 2006. ISBN 0-521-85349-4. Pp xi + 790, £85.00 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Jonathan Shanklin

  • The birth of stars and planets by John Bally & Bo Reipurth
    Cambridge University Press, 2006. ISBN 0-521-80105-2. Pp x + 295, £25.00 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Nick Hewitt

  • The amateur astronomer by Patrick Moore
    Springer-Verlag, 2005. ISBN 1-85233-878-4. Pp viii + 293, hbk.
    Reviewed by Martin Morgan-Taylor

  • Fundamentals of solar astronomy by Arvin Bhatnagar & William Livingston
    World Scientific, 2005. ISBN 981-256-357-1. Pp 445, £20.00 Amazon (pbk).
    Reviewed by Dave Airey

  • Giant planets of our solar system: an introduction by Patrick Irwin
    Springer-Praxis, 2006. ISBN 3-540-31317-6. Pp xxv + 320, £38.50 (pbk).
    Reviewed by John H. Rogers

  • Star clusters and how to observe them by Mark Allison
    Springer-Verlag, 2005. ISBN 1-84628-190-3. Pp xi + 211, £22.00 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Nick Hewitt

  • The sky at Einstein's feet by William Keel
    Springer/Praxis, 2005. ISBN 0-387-26130-3. Pp xiii + 246, £19.50 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Roger O'Brien

  • Digital astrophotography - the state of the art by David Ratledge (ed.)
    Springer(Verlag, 2005. ISBN 1-85233-734-6. Pp viii + 177, £22.00 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Nick James

  • Comets II by Michael C. Festou, Uwe Keller & Harold A. Weaver (Eds.)
    University of Arizona Press, 2005. ISBN 0-8165-2450-5. Pp xvii + 745, $85.00 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Jonathan Shanklin

  • An acre of glass by J. B. Zirker
    Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005. ISBN 0-8018-8234-6. Pp 345, £20.00 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Tom Boles

  • Saturn and how to observe it by Julius L. Benton, Jr.
    Springer-Verlag, 2006. ISBN 1-85233-887-3. Pp vii + 182, £19.50 (pbk).
    Reviewed by David Graham

  • David Levy's guide to variable stars by David H. Levy
    Cambridge University Press, 2005. ISBN 0-521-60860-0. Pp xiv + 262, £18.99 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Janet Simpson

  • Revolutionaries of the cosmos - the astrophysicists by I. S. Glass
    Oxford University Press, 2005. ISBN 0-19-857099-6, Pp xiii + 317, £35 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Sheridan Williams

  • The Martian climate revisited: atmosphere and environment of a desert planet by Peter L. Read & Stephen R. Lewis
    Springer/Praxis, 2004. ISBN 3-540-40743-X. Pp xxv + 326, £61.50 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Richard McKim

  • The Moon and how to observe it by Peter Grego
    Springer-Verlag, 2005. ISBN 1-85233-748-6. Pp xi + 274, £19.95 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Nick James

  • Planetary geology: an introduction by Claudio Vita-Finzi
    Terra Publishing, 2005. ISBN 1-903544-20-3. Pp viii + 168, £19.95 (pbk).
    Reviewed by David Rothery

  • The Hatfield SCT lunar atlas by Jeremy Cook
    Springer-Verlag, 2005. ISBN 1-85233-749-4. Pp 122, £24.95 (hbk)
    Reviewed by Alan Wells

  • Great Observatories of the World by Serge Brunier & Anne-Marie Lagrange
    Firefly Books, 2005. ISBN 1-55407-055-4. Pp 240, £35.00 (hbk)
    Reviewed by Maurice Gavin

  • Robert Hooke and the English Renaissance by Paul Kent & Allan Chapman
    Gracewing Publishing, 2005. ISBN 0-85244-587-3. Pp xii + 191, £15.99 (hbk)
    Reviewed by Anthony Kinder

  • Atlas of the Moon by Antonin Rukl
    Sky Publishing, 2004. ISBN 1-931559-07-4. Pp 224, £25.24 (hbk)
    Reviewed by Colin Ebdon

  • Visual astronomy under dark skies by Antony Cooke
    Springer-Verlag, 2005. ISBN 1-85233-901-2. Pp ix + 180, £24.95 (pbk)
    Reviewed by Stewart Moore

  • Fred Hoyle - a life in science by Simon Mitton
    Aurum Press, 2005. ISBN 1-85410-961-8. Pp xi + 369, £18.99 (hbk)
    Reviewed by Roger O'Brien

  • Astronomy with a home computer by Neale Monks (Ed.)
    Springer-Verlag, 2005. ISBN 1-85233-805-9. Pp v11 + 202, £24.50 (pbk)
    Reviewed by Callum Potter

  • Sky phenomena by Norman Davidson
    Lindisfarne Books, 2004 (revised). ISBN 1-58420-026-X. Pp xvi + 207, £13.40 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Bob Mizon

  • Centauri dreams: imagining and planning interstellar exploration by Paul Gilster
    Copernicus Books, 2004. ISBN 0-387-00436-X. Pp xv + 302, £19.00 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Roger O'Brien

  • The transits of Venus by Bill Sheehan & John Westfall
    Prometheus Books, 2004. ISBN 1-59102-175-8. Pp 407, $28.00 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Peter Hingley

  • Observing variable stars, novae and supernovae by Gerald North & Nick James
    Cambridge University Press, 2004. Pp ix + 230 + CD-ROM. ISBN 0-521-82047-2 (hbk), £30.00.
    Reviewed by Roger Pickard

  • The Real Mars by Michael Hanlon
    Constable, 2004. ISBN 1-84119-637-1. xiv + 250 pp, £25.00 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Richard McKim

  • Collins atlas of the night sky by Storm Dunlop, Wil Tirion & Antonin Rukl
    Collins, 2005. ISBN 0-00-717223-0. Pp 224, £20.00 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Neil Bone

  • Introduction to comets by by John C. Brandt & Robert D. Chapman
    Cambridge University Press, 2004. Pp viii + 441. ISBN 0-521-80863-4, £75.00 (hbk); ISBN 0-521-00466-7, £35.00 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Nick James

  • Icy worlds of the solar system by Pat Dasch
    Cambridge University Press, 2004. Pp xii + 351. ISBN 0-521-64048-2 (hbk), £30.00.
    Reviewed by Bob Lambourne

  • The new amateur astronomer by Martin Mobberley
    Springer-Verlag, 2004. Pp ix + 229. ISBN 1-85233-663-3 (pbk), £24.50.
    Reviewed by David Boyd

  • Global warming: the complete briefing (3rd edn) by John Houghton
    Cambridge University Press, 2004. Pp xxx + 351. ISBN 0-521-81762-5, £50.00 (hbk); 0-521-52874-7, £22.99 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Jonathan Shanklin

  • An introduction to galaxies and cosmology by Mark H. Jones & R. J. A. Lambourne (Eds.)
    Cambridge University Press, 2004. Pp vi + 442. ISBN 0-521-83738-3, £75.00 (hbk); 0-521-54623-0, £29.95 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Dominic Ford

  • The Clementine atlas of the Moon by Ben Bussey & Paul Spudis
    Cambridge University Press, 2004. Pp lii + 316. ISBN 0-521-81528-2, £50.00 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Colin Ebdon

  • Star & planet almanac 2005: A monthly guide to the sky at night by Liesbeth Bisterbosch
    Henry Goulden Books, 2004. ISBN 0-904822-15-X, £12.99 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Patricia Barber

  • An introduction to astrobiology by Iain Gilmour & Mark A. Sephton (Eds.)
    Cambridge University Press, 2004. Pp vi + 358. ISBN 0-521-54621-4, £75.00 (hbk); 0-521-83736-7, £29.95 (pbk)
    Reviewed by John H. Rogers

  • Mary Somerville and the world of science by Allan Chapman
    Canopus Publishing, 2004. ISBN 0-9537868-4-6. Pp xv + 157, £12.95 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Jacqueline Mitton

  • John Herschel's Cape Voyage: private science, public imagination and the ambitions of empire by Steven Ruskin; Ashgate Publishing Company, 2004. ISBN 0-7546-3558-9. Pp xxix + 229, £45.00 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Terry Mahoney

  • Starry Night Pro Plus: computer software for Windows & Macintosh
    Reviewed by Mike Carson-Rowland

  • Impossible extinction: Natural catastrophes and the supremacy of the microbial world by Charles S. Cockell
    Cambridge University Press, 2004. ISBN 0-521-81736-6. Pp ix + 181, £18.99 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Edward Hanna

  • Babylon to Voyager and beyond: A history of planetary astronomy by David Leverington
    Cambridge University Press, 2003. ISBN 0-521-80840-5. Pp x + 558, £65.00 (hbk).
    Reviewed by John Rogers

  • NASA'S Voyager missions - exploring the outer solar system and beyond by Ben Evans & David M. Harland
    Springer/Praxis, 2004. ISBN 1-85233-745-1. Pp xviv +284, £24.50 (pbk).
    Reviewed by David Graham

  • Cometography: A catalog of comets. Volume 2: 1800-1899 by Gary W. Kronk.
    Cambridge University Press, 2004. ISBN 0-521-58505-8. Pp xiii + 837, £120.00 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Guy Hurst

  • The Maunder Minimum and the variable Sun-Earth connection by Willie Wei-Hock Soon and Steven H. Yaskell
    World Scientific Publishing, 2004. ISBN 981-238-274-7, £57.00 (hbk); 981-238-275-5, £28.00 (pbk). Pp xviii + 278.
    Reviewed by David Gavine

  • Observing and measuring visual double stars by Bob Argyle (Ed.)
    Springer-Verlag, 2004. ISBN 1-85233-558-0. Pp xii + 326 (pbk) + CD-Rom, £26.00.
    Reviewed by Martin Nicholson


    • Astronomy of the Milky Way, by Mike Inglis. Springer-Verlag, 2004.
    Reviewed by Stewart Moore
    Volume I: The Northern Sky. ISBN 1-85233-709-5. Pp xiii + 242 (pbk), £19.95.
    Volume II: The Southern Sky. ISBN 1-85233-742-7. Pp xiii + 236 (pbk), £19.95.

  • Expedition Mars by Martin J. L. Turner
    Springer/Praxis, 2004. ISBN 1-85233-735-4. Pp xxi + 321 (pbk), £24.50.
    Reviewed by Nick James

  • Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars by Harm J. Habing & Hans Olofsson (Eds.)
    Springer-Verlag, 2004 (Astronomy and Astrophysics Library). ISBN 0-387-00880-2. Pp ix + 559 (hbk), £73.00.
    Reviewed by Callum Potter

  • The Modern Moon - a personal view by Charles A. Wood
    Sky Publishing Corporation, 2003. ISBN 0-933346-99-9, Pp xix+209. $49.50 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Hazel Collett

  • Exploring Mercury: The Iron Planet by Robert G. Strom & Ann L. Sprague
    Springer/Praxis, 2003. ISBN 1-85233-731-1. Pp xxx + 216 (pbk), £24.50.
    Reviewed by Ron Toft

  • Nearest Star: The Surprising Science of our Sun by Leon Golub & Jay M. Pasachoff
    Harvard University Press, 2002. ISBN 0-674-01006-X, pp. xii + 267. £11.50 (pbk).
    Reviewed by Lee Macdonald

  • The Edge of Infinity: Supermassive black holes in the Universe by Fulvio Melia. Cambridge University Press, 2003. ISBN 0-521-81405-7, pp. ix + 148. £18.95 (hbk).
    Reviewed by Roger O'Brien

  • A practical guide to lightcurve photometry and analysis by Brian D. Warner . BDW Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0-9743849-0-9. Pp xiv + 266, $40.00 incl. air mail postage (pbk). [Available through http://www.MinorPlanetObserver.com]
    Reviewed by Richard Miles

  • Cometary Science after Hale-Bopp: Volume I and Volume II by H. Boehnhardt et al. (eds.) Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2003. ISBN 1-4020-1288-8, pp. 343 (Vol. I); ISBN 1-4020-0978-X, pp. 524 (Vol. II); £119.00 each.
    Reviewed by Jonathan Shanklin

  • The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Amateur Astronomy by Michael E. Bakich
    Cambridge University Press, 2003. ISBN 0-521-81298-4. Pp xii + 342 (hbk), £35.00.
    reviewed by Martin Mobberley

  • The Smithsonian Book of Mars by Joseph M. Boyce
    Smithsonian Institution Press, 2002. ISBN 1-58834-074-0. Pp xiv + 321, £26.95 (hbk.)
    reviewed by Richard McKim

  • New Worlds in the Cosmos: The discovery of exoplanets by Michel Mayor & Pierre-Yves Frei, translated by Boud Roukema
    Cambridge University Press, 2003. ISBN 0-521-81207-0. Pp xii + 248 (hbk), £18.95.
    reviewed by Roger O'Brien

  • Masks of the Universe: Changing ideas on the nature of the Cosmos by Edward Harrison
    Cambridge University Press, 2003. ISBN 0-521-77351-2. Pp ix + 331, £20.00 (hbk).
    reviewed by Jonathan Reynolds

  • Soyuz: A universal spacecraft... by Rex D. Hall & David J. Shayler
    Springer-Praxis, 2003. ISBN 1-85233-657-9. Pp xv + 459. £24.50 (pbk).
    reviewed by Nick James

  • Au plus pres de la planète Mars by Philippe Morel & Giles Dawidowicz (Eds.)
    Société Astronomique de France/Editions Vuibert, 2003. ISBN 2-7117-5335-2. Pp 290 (pbk), 30 euros.
  • Un siècle d'Astronomie by Audouin Dollfus, Roger Kieffer & Michael Sarrazin (Eds.)
    Société Astronomique de France/Editions Vuibert 2003. ISBN 2-7117-5330-1. Pp 532 (hbk), 60 Euros.
    reviewed by Richard McKim

  • Observer's Guide to Stellar Evolution:... by Mike Inglis
    Springer Verlag London, 2003 (Patrick Moore's Practical Astronomy series). ISBN 1-85233-465-7. Pp xvii + 236, £26.95 (pbk).
    reviewed by Roger O'Brien

  • Observing Cometsby Nick James & Gerald North
    Springer-Verlag, 2003. ISBN 1-85233-557-2. Pp x + 234 + CD ROM, £26.00 (pbk)
    reviewed by Guy Hurst

  • Asteroids III (Space Science Series)by William F. Bottke Jr., Alberto Cellino, Paolo Paolicchi & Richard P. Binzel (Eds)
    The University of Arizona Press, 2002. ISBN 0-8165-2281-2. Pp xviii + 785, $110.00 (hbk).
    reviewed by Richard Miles

  • Deep-sky Companions: The Caldwell Objects by Stephen James O'Meara Sky Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0-933346-97-2. Pp xv + 484, $39.95 (hbk).
    reviewed by Stewart Moore

  • Philip's Astrophotography: an introduction to film and digital imaging by H. J. P. Arnold. George Philip & Co., 2003. ISBN 0-540-08312-7. Pp 256, £9.99 (pbk).
    reviewed by R.J. Neville

  • Towards Mars! by Risto Pellinsen & Paul Raudsepp (Eds.) Oy Raud Publishing, [Albertinkatu 17, FIN-00120, Helsinki, Finland], 2000. ISBN 952-9689-11-X. Pp 410, £46.00 (hbk).
    reviewed by Richard McKim

  • Observing variable starsby Gerry A. Good. Springer(Verlag, 2003. ISBN 1-85233-498-3. Pp viii + 274, £24.50 (pbk).
    reviewed by Chris Jones

  • How to observe the Sun safely by Lee Macdonald. Springer(Verlag, 2003. ISBN 1-85233-527-0. Pp ix + 176, £19.50 (pbk).
    reviewed by Peter Meadows

  • The practical astronomer's deep-sky companion by Jess K. Gilmour Springer-Verlag, 2003. ISBN 1-85233-474-6. Pp xiv + 140, £25.00 (pbk).
    reviewed by Nick Hewitt

  • Photographic atlas of the Moon by S. M. Chong, A. C. H. Lim & P. S. Ang. Cambridge University Press, 2002. ISBN 0-521-81392-1. Pp ix + 146 (25×31.5 cm), £40.00 (hbk).
    reviewed by Alan Wells



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