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History of Astronomy (Hardcover)

by Arthur C. Clarke (Foreword), Heather Couper (Author), Nigel Henbest (Author)

3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Product details

Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Cassell Illustrated (15 Oct 2007)
Language English
ISBN-10: 1844035700
ISBN-13: 978-1844035700
Product Dimensions: 29.2 x 24.1 x 3 cm

Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 411,783 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

As we approach the 400th anniversary of Galileo's birth, there is no better time for this extraordinary volume examining centuries of evolution in astronomy. From superstition and mythology to science, the clear text and extraordinary images make this the perfect volume for anyone with an interest in our mystifying Universe, from families to astronomy enthusiasts and students. From as far back as the Greeks, humans have striven to understand our Universe. Over centuries and millennia, astronomers have moved towards establishing some of its extraordinary true nature. Expounding this development, Astronomy uncovers the past, present and future.

About the Author

After studying Astrophysics at Oxford University, Heather ran the Greenwich Planetarium, and later became President of the British Astronomical Association and Gresham Professor pf Astronomy. After presenting two TV series, Heather and two colleagues set up Pioneer Productions, now one of the leading factual TV companies in the UK. She was the producer of Universe and of the international award-winning programme Electric Skies. After gaining a first class honours degree in Astrophysics, Nigel researched in radio astronomy at Cambridge, where he studied supernovae, radio galaxies and quasars. He developed geophysical equipment that he installed on Mt Etna. He became Media Consultant to the Royal Greenwich Observatory, and Astronomy Consultant to New Scientist magazine. A prolific author, Nigel is also an award-winning TV producer and scriptwriter and runs Pioneer Productions, bridging the arts and sciences. Arthur C. Clarke is one of the world's most famous and prolific science fiction writers. He is most commonly known for the movie script, 2001: A Space Odyssey - for which he shared an Oscar nomination with Stanley Kubrick - but is also renowned worldwide for more than 70 other works, and the CBS coverage of Apollo 12 and 15, as well as Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World and Arthur C. Clarke's World of Strange Powers. He has lived in Sri Lanka since 1956.

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Customer Reviews

3 Reviews

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

Average Customer Review

3.7 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First class, 17 Nov 2007

By	R. S. Scagell (Bucks, UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

You don't have to be an astronomer to appreciate this book. I happened to have it with me at the Society for Popular Astronomy's astronomy course, where the husband of one of the participants started to leaf through the pages. Though his interest is in wildlife rather than astronomy he was immediately hooked, and decided to buy his own copy. If you are expecting a dry academic tome, look elsewhere. But if you want to find out about not just how astronomy has developed from the dawn of time, and the people behind it, all explained in a highly readable text, this is for you.
The authors have put in an impressive amount of background research into the life and times of those people we have all heard of, such as Kepler, turning them from names into real people with lives and loves. When it comes to opinions, we hear at first hand from acknowledged experts in the field, such as Owen Gingerich and Allan Chapman. Their quotes speak directly to you. My only quibble is that they are rarely allowed to 'say' anything, but they 'confide' or 'aver' or 'opine', in the interests of variety, which gets a little tedious at times. The style is Readers' Digest or New Scientist - popular but authoritative.
Though the authors have clearly travelled the world to see the actual sites and talk to the experts, this does not interfere with the narrative and I have come across far more personalised works from some well-known names. This is far more than a quick pot-boiler of a book with research courtesy of Wikipedia and a day in a library. There are occasional lapses in editing - it doesn't know whether to use UK or US spelling, for example - but these would probably escape anyone other than another editor.
To sum up, this is an excellent book, and as well as gracing your coffee table with its illustrations, many of which are different from those you see elsewhere, it is a great read. I do know the authors (as do many in the field), but I do not pull punches and am happy to have this review under my own name.

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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Every coffee table should have one, 2 Nov 2007

By	Old Man Beaver (Kent UK) - See all my reviews

I couldn't disagree more with the first three reviewers. In fact, given their excrutiating (sic) spelling, I wonder if they are just one reviewer with a grudge. This is a beautiful book - visually and literally. There are many tomes on this subject, but few are as overarching in their perspective or as engaging in their style. Couper and Henbest capture the wonder that prehistoric people must have held for the heavens, the mythology they wove around that and their sometimes amusing but increasingly accurate attempts to understand the physical nature of the cosmos.

Whilst it is a fine book to browse, the accessible style and engaging personal descriptions draw the reader in and make it hard to put down. In a field where there is plenty of duller, dryer competition, this is the one to buy.

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1 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Good Pics - Poor text, 4 Nov 2007

By	William Frost "William Frost" (Horsham) - See all my reviews

I have to go with the majority low opinion of this book expressed here. The pictures are nice but then again you can buy umpteen books of great pictures of space. It is the poor writing that lets this book down, and poor research. I rather think that the sole good review was written by the authors themselves or friends of theirs.

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