Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: The Great Atlas of the Stars by Serge Brunier, Akira Fujii ISBN: 1-55209-610-6 Publisher: Firefly Books Pub. Date: October, 2001 Format: Spiral-bound Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $49.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.7 (10 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: The Great Atlas of the Stars
Comment: Brunier's atlas reminds us that reference books at their best can be both attractive and functional. He focuses on 30 of the 88 recognized constellations, selected primarily from the Northern Hemisphere. Each constellation is covered in two oversized pages, a magnificent full-page color illustration of the star field, and a facing page providing basic information, such as the optimal season and equipment for observing the constellation. Half a page is devoted to more detailed information about three selected stars or interstellar objects. The outlines of the constellation and the names of major stars are printed on a clear acetate overlay, allowing observers to view the constellations as they will actually appear overhead. Several additional color plates grace the front and back of the volume, and a brief glossary, subject index, and chart of selected bright stars complete the work. The atlas's large size makes it cumbersome for use at the telescope. What makes it special, however, are the sumptuous color illustrations. This is the kind of book calculated to inspire even the most jaded urban dweller to look up at the night sky, and to make the brightest constellations more accessible to the novice observers who will form the next generation of astronomers. Highly recommended for general readers and lower- and upper-division undergraduates.
Rating: 4
Summary: "Great Atlas" falls short of its name
Comment: One knock on modern star atlases is that they tend to be, well, a little dry. Old atlases have colorful constellation figures drawn in ornate detail, detail that gets in the way of seeing the actual stars. Aiming for the practical, atlases for professional use focused more and more on the stars--the ultimate case being an atlas by the German astronomer Friedrich Argelander. Argelander's work was a map of 324,000 stars, unrelieved with figures, constellation lines, names, numbers, or indeed anything at all except coordinate lines. It's hardly a gripping book.
Brunier and Fujii's book is an attempt to put more of the beauty of the night sky back into a map of the stars. This book really isn't a comprehensive atlas; think of it more as a Fodor's guide to the stars. Not all of the sky is covered--just the highlights.
Even those readers only faintly acquainted with the heavens will recognize some friends here: the Big Dipper, Orion. But this book doesn't merely show you the constellations. Akira Fujii's breathtaking wide-field astrophotos reveal dozens of celestial wonders in the neighborhood of each constellation. The brightest are pulled out for special mention in the accompanying text, written by Brunier. Acetate overlays are cleverly inserted between the photos, marked with white circles to indicate where the objects are.
Here's where the book gets a bit dicier. Quite a few of the circles aren't where they ought to be. The circles for M81 and M82, a dazzling pair of galaxies close to the Big Dipper, is a couple of degrees off from where it ought to be. (The circle itself is about a degree across.) Even worse is the circle for M3, a globular cluster containing hundreds of thousands of stars; not only is the circle about 5 degrees off, but M3 isn't even in the wide-field astrophoto at all.
Now, an ordinary copy editor isn't going to be able to catch this, and it won't matter much to the ordinary reader. But it shows a lack of attention to detail that just shouldn't be an issue for a book with such outstanding production values. (And they are outstanding.) This book deserves a second edition; let's hope that these mostly minor issues get resolved by then.
Rating: 5
Summary: Wonderful book, useful, attractive, and even educational
Comment: I have a number of astronomy books and this one stands out as exceptional. Its a well annotated picture book that appeals to both adults and youngsters. It serves both a great eye-candy, but it's also a great reference. The striking large photos are very attractive (of course), but the presence of plasic overlays that allows you to see annotations is a great idea; you can see the raw scene but also see the actual vista. The descriptive text is also good and quite informative. This is the only astronomy book I leave out since it appeals to anybody.
 |
Title: Nightwatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe by Terence Dickinson ISBN: 1552093026 Publisher: Firefly Books Pub. Date: November, 1998 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
 |
Title: The Backyard Astronomer's Guide by Terence Dickinson, Alan Dyer ISBN: 155209507X Publisher: Firefly Books Pub. Date: October, 2002 List Price(USD): $49.95 |
 |
Title: Astronomy Encyclopedia by Patrick Moore, Leif Robinson ISBN: 0195218337 Publisher: Oxford Univ Pr Childrens Books Pub. Date: 15 June, 2002 List Price(USD): $50.00 |
 |
Title: Sky Atlas 2000.0, 2nd Deluxe Edition by Wil Tirion, Roger W. Sinnott ISBN: 0521627621 Publisher: Cambridge University Press Pub. Date: 13 November, 1998 List Price(USD): $50.00 |
 |
Title: Turn Left at Orion: A Hundred Night Sky Objects to See in a Small Telescope--and How to Find Them by Guy Consolmagno, Dan M. Davis, Karen Kotash Sepp, Anne Drogin, Mary Lynn Skirvin ISBN: 0521781906 Publisher: Cambridge University Press Pub. Date: 19 October, 2000 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
