While the maps are of good quality, blue background and divided by the month, I quickly learned that the maps contain errors in placement of some celestial objects. Organization of the description of the constellations in the monthly section is poor because you have to jump around to different pages to locate a description of nearly half of the constellations for that month. While there are in-depth analysis of the most commonly known constellations, the infomation on the lesser known constellations would be better organized as a separate section with a small skymap for each.

The sections on the Moon, Planets and Sun are good, but most amature astronomers veiw this information as a side interest. These sections should be condensed and more space given to the constellations. Better treatment of our solar system would be on how to view these objects.

The planisphere that comes with the book is mediocre. A spiral bound form of the book with dew-resistant pages would be better.

My recommendation would be to get Nightwatch, the Audubon pocket guide, and David Levy's Guide to the Stars.


A book for beginners that's a reference for the experienced.   October 20, 1998
 12 out of 13 found this review helpful

A large format book with full color throughout, this work takes beginning star-gazers by the hand and quickly shows them what, when, where, and how. Its detail is presented logically and intuitively such that it makes a very nice reference for the experienced amateur astronomer as well.


Well written with great photographs and charts.   October 6, 1998
 8 out of 9 found this review helpful

This book is a great introductory book on astronomy. Not only is it replete with information on and pictures of the moon, planets, stars, nebulae, and galaxies, it is a very practical, visually-oriented guide for the amateur astronomer.