Book Description

The classic of contemporary science writing by a Nobel Prize-winning physicist explains what happened when the universe began, and how we know. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Brilliant book but some physics knowledge required
Beautifully written and highly recommended. Some physics knowledge is required but not much - certainly not undergraduate level. I wish Amazon would provide some editorial presence and delete the gibberish previous post titled "A creationist's fairytail on moving sands". This person populates his so-called review with a smattering of physics terms but makes absolutely no sense at all.

Wonderful. A source of ideas.
A masterpiece. Weinberg was able to keep all the physics, with almost no mathematics. There is, in this book, a sense of drama seldom to be found in scientific books. You should start your cosmology studies here, independently of how far you intend to go.

A creationist's fairytail on moving sands
At least some comments from a professional theoretical physicists who does not share major premises of Prof. Weinberg's physics. Just for those readers who are taking everything in books of this type for granted.

Which "3 minutes"? It is a true curiosity: General Relativity was invented to eliminate an absolute Newtonian concept of time from physics. But now, in the most ultra-relativistic situation one can imagine, Weingerg's physics is just back with the concept of absolute time - or better to say - any external time, because the concept of time is physically completely undefined by these cosmologists.

But there are also fundamental questions about Weinberg's interpretation of another underlying theory - quantum mechanics. Another paradox: Weinberg obviously believes that quantum wave functions are some real physically existing objects, and also that probabilities are physically real. But this is definitely not the view of Quantum Mechanics of Bohr, Heisenberg or Schroedinger, who recognized and emphasized that quantum probabilities are just representations of our incomplete information. In similar misleading way Weinberg also struggles with another intrinsically probabilistic theory - Statistical Thermodynamics, and associated Second Law. This makes for Weinberg extremely cumbersome to make the time-origin (singularity) compatible with the Maximum Entropy Principle, to avoid a "heat death" paradox in "his" universe, to define a physically meaningful time near his singularity by entropy, etc.

Concerning the Big Bang and three notorious arguments of its believers: (1) A strong link between the Red Shift and Doppler effect, supposed also by Weinberg, is still very uncertain; some other natural explanations exist in physical literature and has only been ignored, but still never refuted by any serious analysis; (2) Planck's black-body radiation law can hardly be used for any decisions between prospective geometries of the universe, as the same law is resulting for different geometries of the universe; (3) Arguments from particle physics are highly circular, because they actually presume the cosmological model to be proven.

But there are perhaps even more fundamental questions about the Big Bang hypothesis, e.g. its elementary clashes with thermodynamics and information theory, never mentioned by (and maybe unknown to) Prof. Weinberg and the Big-bang camp.

In summary, the whole cosmological narrative of Prof. Weinberg might be still closer to a fairytail than to science, and even his interpretations of basic underlying theories (quantum physics, general relativity, statistical thermodynamics) are highly questionable or even misleading. For creationists and people with some religious philosophy (which is also Prof. Weinberg's case) the Big-Bang narrative might be appealing, but definitely not all competent scientists necessarily see things this way. In my opinion, this is not emphasized enough in this highly speculative and physically somewhat too-fast book.

You don't have to be a physicist to understand this book
I am a true layman, having had NO education in physics beyond high school "physical science." However, I have read Hawking's "Brief History of Time," Timothy Ferris' "The Whole Shebang," and read Scientific American. I say this to point out that you do not need to bring a great deal of knowledge to the table to appreciate this book, provided you have some aptitude for cosomology. And, sure, it helps to have a passing acquaintance with General Relativity, Special Relativity, and some of the basics of particle physics. I can't imagine anybody would pick up this book if they didn't already have some passing interest in cosmology and had read a few magazine articles.

The text is clear and, considering the subject matter, amazingly brief. The author does not dummy down the mathematics too much either, which is a fault of some books written for laymen. On the other hand, he also doesn't overwhelm the reader with mathematics either. He wisely chooses to include a mathematics appendix and lets you either explore the math or not.

Quantum mechanics and general relatively are not particularly "intuitive" topics, so any beginning reader is going to have to read this slowly, carefully, and with some patience. But the book is as clear and open to lay people as I've yet encountered.

And, frankly, I think any educated lay person should have a BASIC understanding of the principles in this book. For the curious, this is a great place to start. And even if you've been through the "story" before, this book is great for reinforcing the story of the birth of the universe in a concise, holistic layout.

A classic documentary on the origin of the universe
Stephen Weinberg received his Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Harvard university and has taught at the university of Texas for decades. He won the Nobel prize in physics in 1979 and has worked with such distinguished personages as the late Richard P. Feynman. In short, he is one of the leading minds in his field.

The First Three Minutes is an unusual book in astronomy / cosmology because it is now over 20 years old & yet it is STILL one of the classics of the "story" of the universe for the layman & non-expert. The book takes us on an exhilerating journey all the way back to the Plank epoch (10^-43 seconds after the Big Bang). Weinberg also deals with Einstein's theory of Relativity (which predicted the Big Bang), the Hubble Red Shift (the discovery that the universe is expanding) as well as the detection of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) in the 1960's by Ralph Wilson and Arno Penzias. All three of these factors, plus numerous other details all form the foundation for the way most scientists think about our universe (presently known as the Big Bang theory).

One of the things about Weinberg that I admire is that, like Carl Sagan, he concedes that he MIGHT be wrong, but that what he has to work with is the best paradigm available. This is brutally honest & also quite a refreshing approach. I tire quickly of reading science books that are written by individuals who are so conceited as to believe they know everything there is to know. One certainly does not have to worry about that type of arrogance with Weinberg.

So, if you even have a passing interest in cosmology, I would HIGHLY recommend this book. The book may be especially appealing to many people as it is 150 pages in & out (anyone who has ever browsed the science shelf at their local bookstore can readily see that there have been far longer books written on this topic). But oh, what a plethora of info that Weinberg furnishes in those 150 pages!

All in all, this is a very readable book which deals with a quite recondite topic. ... Read more

Book Description

Twenty years after its first publication, this book continues to be regarded as the standard work on model aircraft, attracting worldwide interest and approval. This new edition includes new sections incorporating new research and developments in model flying practice. The book presents standard aerodynamic theory as it applies to model flight in a concise and practical form for enthusiasts wishing to better understand the behavior of their models in flight. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Interesting
Unfortunatly, the author uses Bernoulli's principle to explain lift. Also, his use of equations is minimal. Please see John D. Anderson's book if you wish to understand aerodynamic theory. Otherwise, the other customers' reviews stand.

Highly detailed text book. Intense reading but worthwhile
The book is, to me, hard to read because there is little to no "scenery" in the book. Every sentence is packed with information which results in a slow read particular for a newcomer to the field of aerodynamics like myself.
Inevitably, every page is filled with "Why didn't I think of that" - type revelations. Don't rush into the book. Take it a page at a time because the pace builds up quickly - particularly in the first few chapters. If you don't understand a chapter, you will waste your time on the next. A Book for the patient, but eager to learn.

Martin Simons is an expert in his field and in this conversational, intense, book his knowledge is shared well.
Definitely the pride of my library.

Model Aircraft Aerodynamics by Martin Simons
This is an excellent book, applicable to much more than model aircraft. Most of it's material is applicable to full size sailplanes and aircraft also. The book is not heavily mathematical, and chapters start with basic fundamentals and build from there. Significant prior knowledge is not required, but helpful. I actually bought the book after reading a copy of a friend's. I was pleasantly suprized to find that the later edition that I bought had more material in the same down to earth style as the first. Great book.

Really Solid and Easily Understood
As a professional aerospace engineer, I am often disappointed by books and articles written for amateurs and hobbyists. This book is a rare exception in that it is accurate, understandable and well laid out. The very low Reynolds number conditions that model aircraft fly in are sufficiently different from full scale that most engineers don't really understand what is going on. This book led me through unfamiliar territory and gave me a much fuller appreciation for the aerodynamics I encountered in very-high-altitude and planetary flight.

The best modeling book in my library
This is without a doubt the most useful book in my library and is a "must have" for any serious modeler. It not only gives the basics that any modeler should be able to understand but backs the concepts up with some basic math to prove the points. In addition, Martin has used the metric SI system of units which makes everything much easier to understand. ... Read more

Book Description

Discusses applications of failures and evaluation techniques to a variety of industries.
* Presents a unified approach using two key elements of structural design. ... Read more

Book Description

An accessible guide to the legal issues that affect general aviation pilots, this highly readable second edition adds case studies, covers important new ground (including FAA enforcement procedures), and clarifies a pilot's rights and responsibilities. ... Read more

Book Description

This innovative book provides a clear and pedagogical introduction to research through a series of problems and answers. The author has designed the problems to develop each core topic in a simple and coherent way, and he provides full solutions to make this book completely self-contained. The first half of the book covers the core subjects of astrophysical processes, gravitational dynamics, radiative processes, fluid mechanics and general relativity. The second half uses these concepts to develop modern cosmology; topics include the Friedmann model and thermal history, the dynamics of dark matter and baryons in an expanding universe, the physics of high-redshift objects and the very early universe. This unique self-study textbook will be of key interest to graduate students and researchers in cosmology, astrophysics, relativity and theoretical physics. It is particularly well suited to graduate-level courses. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Hard... but excellent!
This is a very welcomed book for graduate students in astrophysics. Although I have only scratched the surface of the topics, I find its format and distribution very well organized. The solutions are also clearly exposed, but you need a very high background to work on the problems entirely on your own. ... Read more

Book Description

Make each night a meaningful stargazing experience with A Walk Through the Southern Sky. This ultimate guide to the heavens takes the guesswork out of identifying constellations and fosters appreciation of their beauty and significance. All you need are your eyes; this trusty volume takes care of the rest. This volume brings to stargazers in the Southern hemisphere the same insightful coverage and accessibility that Heifetz and Tirion's previous volume--A Walk Through the Heavens--did for those up North.Its unique, simplified maps not only make constellations easy to find but also help locate the stars within them. Without having to use a telescope or other astronomical equipment, readers can gauge the sizes and separations between constellations, and easily move from one to the other, by simply following the book's clear instructions. In addition, the ancient myths and legends surrounding the constellations, are retold, providing a rich historical prespective. Beautifully illustrated by Wil Tirion, this is an ideal introduction to launch the novice astronomer on a journey across the starlit skies. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Learning the Southern Sky
After deciding to go into the Observational Astronomy hobby, I have been denying experts' advise for months. Although being almost a rookie, "start with a pair of binoculars", "plan your session ahead" and so on seemed trivial to me. This book helps the reader to solve which is probably the very first lesson to begin with: "learn the sky". In addition to that, it is dedicated to the Southern Hemisphere, trascendental for those who live "below" the equator. "A walk through the Southern Sky" easily and friendly explains how to reach minor constellations starting at the major ones. From Orion and Canis Major, precise highways are traced to reach Canis Minor, Cancer, Lepus and so on. From Crux and Centauri, to Vela and so on. I had started with a friend's computerized scope, and always thought that "starhopping" would be imposible for me under light-polluted skies. Probably one of the major goals of the authors is having proved me wrong. Again, if I could, anybody can! ... Read more

Book Description

This textbook provides advanced undergraduate and graduate students with a complete introduction to modern cosmology. It successfully bridges the gap between undergraduate and advanced graduate texts by discussing topics of current research, starting from first principles. Throughout this authoritative volume, emphasis is given to the simplest, most intuitive explanation for key equations used by researchers. The first third of the book carefully develops the necessary background in general relativity and quantum fields. The rest of the book then provides self-contained accounts of all the key topics in contemporary cosmology, including inflation, topological defects, gravitational lensing, galaxy formation, large-scale structure and the distance scale. To aid understanding, the book is well illustrated with helpful figures and includes outline solutions to more than ninety problems. All necessary astronomical jargon is clearly explained, ensuring the book is self-contained for any student with undergraduate physics. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Borrow it first .
I got this book on short term inter-library loan hoping to further my knowledge of inflationary cosmology. I don't think that this is a suitable volume from which to begin study of this topic unless you have a supervisor on hand for occasional help.The chapter on inflation for example summarises standard results. I found derivations of these not to be explained fully enough for a first encounter. The derivation of the basic equations of motion for the scalar field cosmologies from the Lagrangian is an example.The slow -roll parameters and their relationship to the Friedmann equations are summarised - (a much fuller discussion of these is given in Scott Watson's e -book - see below).This sometimes terse approach can make the book heavy going for people like me working on their own for 'fun'.I did enjoy the chapter though as I had already studied a lot of the material using John Norbury's e-book 'General Relativity'(pdf and html available -contains quite a few errors but inflation is very clearly explained),Scott Watson's (pdf/html)'Exposition on inflationary cosmology'and numerous preprints from the e-archives. With mastery of this material under my belt I therefore found Peacock's material on this topic readable and enjoyable although I did not learn anything new from it. The problems (and solution hints) were good.I enjoyed the chapters on the rudiments of GR (being already very familiar with this albeit from long ago)but again the treatment is brief and constitutes a review rather than a place to start learning GR from.
Dipping into the chapters of material new to me, I could see little hope of personal progress here using this book as a starting point.I realise however that the book covers a huge amount of varied material much of which has been developed in the last twenty years and the book needs to be kept to a sensible size.My perspective is that of someone dabbling independently in their sparetime twenty years after leaving university. I daresay a beginning PhD student might view it in a different light.

Cosmology resources
Great book. Unlike many other cosmology books it is very up to date. Should be used with another book, such as Rowan-Robinson or Kolb and Turner for class atmosphere. It is a little lacking in examples, while the presentation is very good. This book is for the undergraduate senior or the graduate student.

Excellent book.
Very lucid and up-to-date description of cosmology and relativity, with the right balance of qualitative discussion, presentation of the important observations, and mathematical formalism.

Possibly the worst book that I own
This book is possibly the worst book that I own. I found it totally incomprehensible. The other reviewer must have only flipped through the book and not attempted to read it. I admit that the book looks good when flipping through it, but don't be decieved.

This book was used in a cosmology class that I took, but was abandoned after 1 week because it was so bad.

Try to find another book!

This is the best book on the subject
This is a very comprehensive book, clearly written, and very up-to-date, which is very important in this fast moving field. As a researcher, I find it a very useful reference work. ... Read more

Book Description

Loran and GPS notwithstanding, there will always be a place for the sextant aboard any blue-water boat, if for no other reason than the thrill and mystery of finding one's position on earth by gazing at the heavens. Here is the indispensable reference that should accompany the instrument aboard. Cmdr. Bruce Bauer, a professional navigator and master mariner with the U.S. Merchant Marine, has distilled years of hands-on experience into an eminently readable guide to buying, adjusting, using, and repairing sextants.

The Sextant Handbook is dedicated to the premise that electronic navigation devices, while too convenient to disregard, are too vulnerable to rely on exclusively. The book is designed to make beginner and expert alike conversant with this most beautiful and functional of the navigator's tools. Topics include:

• Assembly and Disassembly
• Vital Adjustments
• Avoiding Problems
• Rough Weather Sightings
• Oiling and Cleaning
• Immersion Baths
• Emergency Silvering
• Finding and Buying Used Sextants
• And Much More

You'll also find a list of distributors, manufacturers, and dealers worldwide, a discussion of future trends, and numerous helpful hints, including sighting with eyeglasses and using a Rude starfinder. All in a thoroughly revised edition of a book acclaimed by navigation professionals. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

sextant repair and use
This book is a necisity for anyone that wants to sail beyond the coast. It has excelent advice on the use adjustment and purchasing of your primary navagational aid. Yes I know you have a gps (genuine piece of ) you must be able to find your way without it.

A book for the sextant lover
Sextants are bautiful instruments that let us determine our position by observing stars and planets. They are very precise optical instruments, and today, the least expensive new metal sextant costing around $... Such a precious and expensive instrument needs to be cared for properly.

This book contains very helpful information on how to adjust (or how not to adjust, to avoid damage) your sextant to ensure accurate sightings. The book also covers what can be done to continue to use a sextant after damage, including what repairs can be done by its user. It covers the use and storage of the sextant at sea, gives good tips on how to get good sights and times, and describes a number of sextant types, apparels, and accessories, along with their pros and cons. It also contains interesting information about the history of celestial navigation. I bought my sextant new, but there is a really good section on buying a used sextant. Cmd. Bauer also gives numerous contact information for sextant manufacturers, importers, and retailers, though I haven't checked if they are still up to date. At the very least they will be a good guide for the prospective buyer of a new or used sextant.

The pricing information on the book is outdated, and so are some of the things that are described, like Davis' prism to ensure verticality of the sextant, which is not manufactured or distributed anymore. But it is really well written, full of good information, and a very nice companion to your sextant, or a good guide before you buy one, used or new. Obviously, Cmd. Bauer knows what he writes about, and how to present his knowledge in a compelling manner. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

A Brief Version of "A Brief History"
The title "Stephen Hawking's Universe" may give you the wrong impression about this book, because one would naturally associate Stephen Hawking with more in-depth scientific theories. However, this book is in fact no more than an introduction to the histories and discoveries of our universe. That is, it is more of a "tell-tale" than an explanation type of book, and should not be compared with books like "A Brief History of Time" (by Stephen Hawking himself).

In terms of presentation, this book does a great job in showing us the discoveries made by various scientists of the past and present in a fairly logical order. The beautiful illustrations used also contribute in helping the readers to understand and to maintain interest in the contents. Nevertheless, at times the author does seem to lose focus on the topics, and they become slightly more difficult to follow. Quite often you have to read on a couple of pages (or even chapters) before you are taken back on track.

To summarise, the book provides a clear outline of human's knowledge of the universe in a very graphical manner, and would be suited to those new to such concepts. However, if you are expecting explanation of greater depths, then you will probably be disappointed.

Best book describing the best cosmological principles
Stephen Hawking's universe is one of the very few books of its kind. It describes the complex and beautiful picture of our cosmos as presented by the most famous living scientist of the world. This book will prove helpful and informative for all those who are concerned with the universe and also with Professor Hawking.
Stephen Hawking's universe is such a book which tends to describe a difficult subject with simplicity and ace. Thus any one out there who is intrested in cosmology and is waiting for a new arrival the please do have a look at this one.

Beware! You will be dumber after reading this!
I've always enjoyed Stephen Hawking's writings, as in them he clearly explains things without condescendingly simplifying them, mixes humor with science, and conveys the awe and thrill of scientific discovery. However, once I got past the forward of this book (the only part written my Hawking), I could see that this book was a complete failure. I should have known when someone got me the book; Filkin is a total non-scientist and I now know is scientifically illiterite.

I was first confronted with horrid and sometimes malicious (or at least maddeningly stupid) terminology errors. For example, throughout the book, a brown dwarf is said to be a cooled-down white dwarf. WRONG! A brown dwarf is a starlike object too small to start thermonuclear fusion, so it produces heat and light by contracting; this is the definition according to the International Astronomical Union, the body which defines all astronomical, astrophysical, and cosmological terminology. This is just one of many such errors.
The terminology I had the biggest problem with was the wrongful (indeed, gratuitous) use of the word "creationism." It is relatively apparent that Filkin means the idea that the universe was created at some time, but it is still the wrong word. Either it was placed in there by Filkin (I think unlikely) or the publishers (more likely) to cave to the 45% of this backwards country which seriously believes creationism (in the sense of what the word really means), or (maybe a little more likely)used without thinking. This leads to my next big problem with the book.

Rather than sticking to the science, or at least pointing out how science sharply contrasts with "faith," Filkin spends a large amount of time talking about how science and religion (specifically Christianity) go hand-in-hand. He even makes up malicious falsities, frequently claiming that science at least partially supports Christianity (actually, he said it supporst "creationism"), and that important discoveries were held up by the dogma of "atheist scientists." One particularly despicable example is his claim that after Hubble discovered the Hubble flow, its reality and logical conclusions were denied and held back by "atheist scientists," being unwilling to accept the idea that the universe began (and hence doesn't violate the 2nd law of thermodynamics). Nothing could be further from the truth! The Hubble flow was looked upon very skeptically for over a decade because the original measurements put the age of the universe as less than the then-known age of the Earth.

Lastly, there are the contradictory statements. Filkin often makes statements contrary to the 'evidence' he supports it with, if there is any. One example is as follows: "churchgoing" scientist were shunned and forced to hide their beliefs from the 18th to the 20th centuries because (a) they believed in a moment of creation despite the official church policy that the universe was infinite, (b) the "atheist scientists" believed, like Newton, that the universe was infinite, and (c) these two beliefs (the church's and the atheist concepts) are different. If you were paying attention, you'd know these beliefs are NOT different, and hence not in conflict.

I put the book down after a few chapters of being frustrated not learning anything, frequently needing to correct Filkin, and seeing a creationist-propagandist's dream come true (regardless of what Filkin meant, I've seen quotes from this book paraded around by creationists). Finally, I would like to point out my disgust with Hawking for having a book like this sold with his stamp of approval.

Fabulous book
This book starts with Ptolemy, proceeds to Galileo and eventually to Einstein and Planck. Any one who has ever been interested in science will love this book.

A grave disappointment
As a fan of Stephen Hawking, I was anxious to read this work - looking forward once again to his humorous and "banally-esoteric" approach to science. But I was gravely disappointed. My own fault really, for not reading the editorials, the reviews... or even the jacket!

If I'd only glanced at the bottom of the jacket I would have known that Hawking (whose photo and name are the most dominant features on the cover) had only written the forward to this book, and nothing else. Go figure.

But in spite of that, I began to eat from it greedily, expecting that it would at least resemble the familiar and palatable taste of a Hawking work. I was wrong of course. So then I felt sort of cheated. I guess I resent being hoodwinked. But then maybe I'm just too sensitive.

Apparently, David Filkin's approach to literary science is to be condescendingly simple. Which is okay if you promote it that way. But if you fire your intentions from the ramparts of Stephen Hawking's identity, I think it'd be best to run somewhat parallel to his reader's level of awareness, and allow us the dignity of licking the wounds of our own self-esteems as they occur.

The book attempts to be a chronological outline of scientific discovery. At times though, it becomes almost predictable - and as a result, boring. At other times, it wanders (Hawking wanders too, but he does so for good reasons, and usually has me laughing before he's back on track). Further moments are occupied with repetition, contradiction and redundancies - not to mention a maddening penchant for patting my head, and saying, "I know you didn't understand that, so here's a simpler explanation".

I had the nagging feeling that Filkin was being careful not to overburden the reader with science. Or at least the kind of science that requires explaining. Sure, I'm not a whiz at chemistry, and I flunked calculus twice, but at least give me a chance to feel stupid where I fully expect to. Don't tread softly on me if you think I won't understand it, especially if you're representing Stephen Hawking for Pete's sake!

Don't get me wrong - I am not a Stephen Hawking fanatic with a get-even agenda (I've had my moments with portions of Hawking's work a time or two also). My exasperation is purely clinical - I expect to get what I pay for. Or at least what I see on the cover.

Not recommended ... Read more

Book Description

ASTRONOMY: FROM THE EARTH TO THE UNIVERSE describes the current state of astronomy, both the fundamentals of astronomical knowledge that have been built up over decades and the exciting advances that are now taking place. The writing style is friendly and carefully detailed. It serves as a valuable reference for both beginners and astronomy enthusiasts.This book is organized as a number of stories. Individual chapters often tell what used to be known, how space and other modern observations have transformed our understanding, and then what is scheduled for the future. This is done with each planet. Consequently, an instructor can easily add photos (available as slides, overheads, CD-ROMs, and on the World Wide Web) and movies and keep a student's interest for a whole lecture on each planet, if desired. Students learn about astronomy through concrete examples, rather than merely being given overarching concepts without enough underpinning. ... Read more

Book Description

Ever since Copernicus, scientists have continually adjusted their view of human nature, moving it further and further from its ancient position at the center of Creation. But in recent years, a startling new concept has evolved that places it more firmly than ever in a special position. Known as the Anthropic Cosmological Principle, this collection of ideas holds that the existence of intelligent observers determines the fundamental structure of the Universe. In its most radical version, the Anthropic Principle asserts that "intelligent information-processing must come into existence in the Universe, and once it comes into existence, it will never die out."

This wide-ranging and detailed book explores the many ramifications of the Anthropic Cosmological Principle, covering the whole spectrum of human inquiry from Aristotle to Z bosons.Bringing a unique combination of skills and knowledge to the subject, John D. Barrow and Frank J. Tipler--two of the world's leading cosmologists--cover the definition and nature of life, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, and the interpretation of the quantum theory in relation to the existence of observers. The book will be of vital interest to philosophers, theologians, mathematicians, scientists, and historians, as well as to anyone concerned with the connection between the vastness of the universe of stars and galaxies and the existence of life within it on a small planet out in the suburbs of the Milky Way. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

This Book Should be Famous but Isn't.
This book is a revolutionary treatise on cosmology and the fate of the human species. It is frankly the most breathtaking book I have ever read.

While quite technical in parts, other parts are definitely within the grasp of anyone who learned high school science well and is comfortable with algebra. For instance, it argues that we are probably the only intelligent species in the Milky Way, and that it is our fate to colonise our home galaxy. That, and other arguments in this book should have led to a cover story in Time and Newsweek. It did not, presumably because the astrophysics community views Tipler as being beyond the pale. This book also contains a superb and lengthy discussion of many fascinating topics in the history and philosophy of science. This discussion remains valuable regardless of the future evolution of our understanding of the universe.

I should grant that if it is the case that the expansion of the universe is accelerating and that there is not enough mass in the universe to reverse the process, as astrophysics now suspects, then parts of Barrow and Tipler's argument are in trouble. Also, the other great visionary among modern physicists, Freeman Dyson, has been known to disagrees with Tipler. But I still agree with the authors that the stars are our destiny.

Great.
I thought this book was one of the best, I have ever read. The first part is pretty slow but later as you keep going you realise how the argument is progressing. I went over his calculations and I could not fault the writers conclusions.

If you think how much effect mankind has just been civilised on the world in just 6000 years and then that in a relative short period in cosmological terms, measured in millions of years, he will colonise the whole galaxy. This brings up two questions. The first is why has no other SETI race done it and two what effects will mankind have in the future development of the cosmos.

Its definately a book to make you think.

An Encyclopaedia of the human philosophical knowledge
I would easily give five stars to this book, wouldn't it be a bit too dense to read.
The book is a mountain of erudition, and the knowledge it contains is impressive. In a certain way it can be regarded as an historical summum of all the human philosophical knowledge from the times of Socrates in Greece till today. For me, it was a difficult book to read, without stopping, from the first page till the last, but I found it better and easier to read as a consulting reference book, digesting slowly the different chapters. The work and research involved are immense, and you can see the size of it by the size of the references at the end of each chapter. A book to keep, and consult, when in need.

A Monumental Achievement
We have just passed the 15th Anniversary of the original
publication date of this unparallelled scholarly tour de force. More and more cosmologists have now accepted the anthropic principle, including Weinberg and Hawking, and have incorporated it into their thinking. Yes, this book should be famous, and
someday soon it will be. In the meantime, read it and stretch your brain.

my previous review
i would've edited it but i don't see how. basically after i got the book again and read it another time, either i was thinking of another book before or this one has been revised so much i don't even recognize it anymore. it's certainly hard to read, and reads like a research paper and not a book. it still has some nice ideas but way too many annotations; but i coudn't even find the chapter on the von neumann probe. im pretty sure it's the same book and they just revised it too far and lost it's original simplicity. ... Read more

Book Description

Amazon.com

Tom Wolfe began The Right Stuff at a time when it wasunfashionable to contemplate American heroism. Nixon had left the White House in disgrace, the nation was reeling from the catastrophe of Vietnam, andin 1979--the year the book appeared--Americans were being held hostage by Iranian militants. Yet it was exactly the anachronistic courage of his subjects that captivated Wolfe. In his foreword, he notes that as lateas 1970, almost one in four career Navy pilots died in accidents. "The Right Stuff," he explains, "became a story of why men were willing--willing?--delighted!--to take on such odds in this, an era literary people had long since characterized as the age of theanti-hero."

Wolfe's roots in New Journalism were intertwined with the nonfictionnovel that Truman Capote had pioneered with In Cold Blood. AsCapote did, Wolfe tells his story from a limited omniscient perspective,dropping into the lives of his "characters" as each in turn becomes a majorplayer in the space program. After an opening chapter on the terror of being a test pilot's wife, the story cuts back to the late 1940s, whenAmericans were first attempting to break the sound barrier. Test pilots, wediscover, are people who live fast lives with dangerous machines, not all of them airborne. Chuck Yeager was certainly among the fastest, and his determination to push through Mach 1--a feat that some had predictedwould cause the destruction of any aircraft--makes him the book's guiding spirit.

Yet soon the focus shifts to the seven initial astronauts. Wolfe traces Alan Shepard's suborbital flight and Gus Grissom's embarrassing panicon the high seas (making the controversial claim that Grissom flooded his Liberty capsule by blowing the escape hatch too soon). The author also produces an admiring portrait of John Glenn's apple-pie heroism and selfless dedication. By the time Wolfe concludes with a return toYeager and his late-career exploits, the narrative's epic proportions andliterary merits are secure. Certainly The Right Stuff is the best, the funniest, and the most vivid book ever written about America's mannedspace program. --Patrick O'Kelley ... Read more

Reviews (69)

I'd Give it 6 Stars If I Could
With the exception of The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test, no story is a better match for Wolfe's hyperbolic, stream of consciousness writing style than The Right Stuff.

"the Honorable Mrs Squirming Hatch Blower!"--'nuff said.

the right stuff
"The Right Stuff" by Thomas Wolf details the manned space race between Russia and the United States. It focuses on the United States' effort to put a man into space. The story of the first seven American astronauts is told, along with a description of test pilots, scientists, and others involved with space flight during this time. Tom Wolfe accurately depicts the personalities of the cocky test pilots and their change throughout the book, where in the end, the end of being the heroes of the Space Race. The Space Race was, in fact, a vital part of our history and is the reason for some of our major technological advances today. This book is a great read and will really give the reader a taste of the time and views from Americans about this Race at the time.

The Right Stuff
This book accurately documents the Space Race between the U.S. and Russia. Im so happy Thomas Wolfe wrote this book because i never would have known that these events had happened this way. There is a lot to learn about the way space programs worked and the details and hardships these people endured. I was thoroughly intrigued by the way the sound barrier was broken and the skill it takes to fly airplanes at such high altitudes and velocities. The way the men trying to explore space believed in the programs was truly an inspiration to me. Up until this time, space travel seemed like such an impossible task, but after these accomplishments, the universe seemed just a tiny bit smaller. The way Wolfe displays the perserverence of the men inspires me everyday and I hope that it helps me to do something incredible one day as well.

Russia had the Right Stuff
This book was well written and enjoyable, and I like Tom Wolfe, but I kind of do not really see the point. The Russians put a man not only into space a month before we did in 1961, but put him into orbit. Good old righteous stuff Alan Shepard and John Glenn went subsequently in '61 and '62, but... what exactly was the point? Russia had already defeated us in this space race, and had sent Gagarin into orbit? JFK and US were so proud that many were crying when they saw what Shepard and Glenn did, but the truth is, America was behind USSR! Furthermore, Wolfe makes clear than it did not take too much to be an astronaut, as even a chimpanzee named Ham was able to do it. True skill in flying was like being X-1 test fighters, not being astronauts just "floating" in space. So where exactly was the right stuff? Russia beat us, and to be an astronaut was to float like a chimpanzee, seems that a more appropriate right stuff subject is the 1969 Moon Landing.

Insights into the Early History of Space Flight
For those familiar with the history of manned space flight, most of the information in this book is familiar. But there are also some "what if" alternatives mentioned. For instance, Shepard wanted a 3-day Mercury flight in 1963 following the flight of Cooper's Faith 7. This never came to pass. Considering how far the US was behind the USSR in man hours of space flight, this would have been a good idea.
... Read more

Book Description

"The Convoluted Universe" is the sequel to "The Custodians". This book contains some of the more complicated concepts in Metaphysics that Dolores Cannon discovered through twenty years of using deep hypnosis to explore the subconscious mind. Some of the topics explored in this book: The origin, knowledge and destruction of Atlantis; The explanations of Earth mysteries, including - the Pyramids, Easter Island, the Bermuda Triangle, the Ark of the Covenant, Loch Ness Monster, Nazca Lines; Characteristics of other Planets, Parallel Universes, Parallel Lifetimes and Realities; Other Dimensions and much more.

This book is intended for those readers who want their minds expanded by the more complicated Metaphysical ideas that border on "Quantum Physics". ... Read more

Reviews (12)

incredible
I have read most of Dolores Cannon's books and it seems each one gets better. The Convoluted Universe book One is a remarkable and fascinating exploration of other worldly beings,universes and dimensions. I loved it and can't wait for book two to be published.

the Convoluted Universe
This book contains an incredible amount of information which stimulated my mind beyond measure.I realize that I should have read the book "Custodians" first but nevertheless I was spellbound and could not put the book down.I thoroughly recommend this book for those who are seeking knowledge and those who welcome to stretch their minds.

THE CONVOLUTED UNIVERSE - BOOK ONE
VERY ENJOYABLE AND THOUGHT PROVOKING.

An interesting book - but read with discernment.
I found this book to be very interesting, but I am rather skeptical about what she is actually doing.As with all of her books, she gets alot of esoteric information through clients, who end up retrieving information from - well, from wherever... Who is she actually talking to, and what is she actually learning?I think that the jury is out on this...

As a reader, I found the book to be rather long, and at times a bit tedious.However the topic itself is fascinating, and DC has a writing style that makes even the longest book seem to go in an instant.

As a hypnotherapist, I am very interested both in her techniques and in the theory behind her research.They are, to say the least, controversial - even among the hypnotherapists who do esoteric work.

I recommend the book for anyone interested in esoteric hypnosis, but I urge the reader to use considerable discernment when reading it.

Groundbreaking information
This book represents the culmination of over 10 years of information obtained from working with subject's subconscious minds. Information, which until now could not be released because, either, it did not fit with the subject matter of previous books, or, it was not allowed by the supra intelligence which is influencing the timeline by which this information is to be released to the human race. As a result, there is a lot of new and important information regarding the origins of our human race, including such mysteries as crop circles, strange creatures, parallel universes, the nature of consciousness, mysteries of mummification, the construction of stonehenge and the pyramids, and other mysteries.
Interestingly, a few months ago a guest on Whitley Strieber's Unknown Country spoke of a group of British explorers who were firsthand observers of a Tibetan Buddhist ceremony during the first part of last century, and who witnessed the levitation of huge stones through the combined use of chanting and strange-looking "horn-like" instruments. This is the almost exact process which is described on page 216 of Dolores' book through one of her subjects, even down to the detail of having all participants breathing alternatively so that a constant sound could be maintained.
Perhaps more importantly, this book introduces new material available to Dolores only during the past three years explaining how extraterrestrials are influencing the genes of thousands of us in an effort to speed up our evolution in preparation for the coming changes. More information will be available in the coming sequel. ... Read more

Amazon.com

If you've ever wondered what crashed into the desert near Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947, this book will give you some startling answers. While the first version was published in hardcover in 1997, Corso provides new evidence for the presence of alien intruders in this pocket paperback edition. Whether or not you believe his contention, the sheer weight of governmental sources and documentation presented by the former Army intelligence officer is not easily dismissed. Once you understand the historical context (in the midst of the Cold War soon after World War II, with Orson Welles having recently inspired panic in citizens with his fictional War of the Worlds radio broadcast), the military deciding to cover up a real-life alien ship becomes more credible. Corso also gives a convincing explanation of why reports were so multi-various and conflicting. Even if you believe the book is utter fiction, it's still a compelling read. --Randall Cohan ... Read more

Reviews (190)

Actually read the book before you comment!
I just finished reading the book and found it very interesting. Yes, he could have elaborated on several topics, but he is still a credible military officer. If you read the book for what it is you will get the understanding that it probably did happened. With his credentials and other details in the book it JUST MAKES SENSE! There is nothing in the book of technologies that don't exist today. It is understandable that a career military officer wouldn't publish CLASSIFIED material in a book. That just ads credibility to the book. Some of these posts were right on that fact...

Obviously some people didn't read the book before commenting. We were already looking at some of the technologies before Roswell, we just didn't know where to begin. The book says that Corso went out and found reputable scientists already working on the technologies (Night Vision, Integrated Circuits, Laser, et.) and "helped them along." This makes total sense! Look at how far we have come in just 20 years! Add 10 years to that and you get the time it took for the military to refine it. Corso NEVER said that the "aliens" were sole proprietors of the above technologies. How else could we have advanced so fast in the past 30 years than the previous 100? Like I said, it just makes sense.

Here are some other facts:

1. Astronauts & pilots HAVE said they have seed alien spacecraft
2. He NEVER said that the aliens were lying on the ground for 4 hours, and then ran off...besides he said he wasn't there! This book was written about the alien technologies he researched which we now see in everyday use, especially the military (10 years later)

Very good book!!! Read it and you be the judge!

One of the best books in this Genre!
Having read the TOP Four books in the UFO/Alien/ Government Coverup Genre; My FAVORITE is 'Alien Rapture' by Brad Steiger (Great fiction-soon to be a movie); and Alien Agenda by the best selling author of 'Crossfire' Jim Marrs (Best reference on UFOlogy); and Unconventional Flying Objects (NASA UFO Investigator for 30 years) by the scientist Dr. Paul Hill, I'd say Corso's book is a MUST READ!

Why would a respected, decorated, connected Military Officer swear in a Court of Law that the UFO Conspiracy is real and that the facts and agenda in these books ARE TRUE.

Why? If you read this excellent book and the others, you will know that they are indeed true. Two well respected American Astronauts have come forward to proclaim they had seen evidence of the Roswell UFO crash and stated they know the cover-up is real. Was his sudden demise a product of this conspiracy? You be the judge.

Interesting read whether it's fiction or non-fiction.
I found this book highly interesting about the controversial Roswell UFO mystery. Add to that the fact that it's written by Lt.Col. (retired) Philip Corso, a military officer with a stellar reputation, for whom this book serves as what seems like a testimonial. He certainly didn't do it out of personal greed for money, he was in his 80s when he decided to write this book. It looks like he's someone who wanted to speak out before he died of old age about something his government, which he served honorably, was keeping from and lying to the public about. Even if you don't believe this story is true, the thoughts presented in this book by Lt.Col. Corso ranks as a highly entertaining science fiction read with the ideas (facts?) in it. It goes into not only the Roswell cover-up, but also how the US military went about dispersing alien hardware to US firms (most of it by Lt.Col. Corso himself), and how alien technology has been and continues to touch our lives today. That part of the book was really weird to think about. Personally, it was a page turner for me, and I finished it within a week.

A very thought-provoking read ...
Every day items - the laser pointer in your briefcase, the laptop on your desk, the stealth capability of the F-117's flying over your head ... all may have had a little help from aliens who crashed in Roswell, NM.

This was definitely one of the most interesting Roswell books I've read because it deals not only with the Roswell incident, but what took place in the govement afterwards for a number of years.

If This Guy is Lying...
If Corso is lying about the subject matter contained in this book, he should be given some kind of an award. It is, hands-down, the most well conceived fabrication and outright sham I've eer read. I am somewhat of a skeptic and don't believe in much of anything (I believe religion is a practical joke that got out of hand). I have personally witnessed a craft zipping around the sky making right-angle turns at incredible speeds, but don't feel comfortable placing a label on what I saw. I don't know what to make of Corso's book, it's so much fun to read, but I'm not ready to make that leap of faith and admit to the possibility of any of it. Give it a read and make up your own mind. ... Read more

Book Description

World-renowned physicist and bestselling author Stephen Hawking presents a revolutionary look at the momentous discoveries that changed our perception of the world with this first-ever compilation of seven classic works on physics and astronomy. His choice of landmark writings by some of the world's great thinkers traces the brilliant evolution of modern science and shows how each figure built upon the genius of his predecessors. On the Shoulders of Giants includes, in their entirety, On the Revolution of Heavenly Spheres by Nicolaus Copernicus; Principia by Sir Isaac Newton; The Principle of Relativity by Albert Einstein; Dialogues Concerning Two Sciences by Galileo Galilei with Alfonso De Salvio; plus Mystery of the Cosmos, Harmony of the World, and Rudolphine Tables by Johannes Kepler. It includes an essay by each scientist preceded by biographies written by Hawking. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Five "Giants" who Altered Our View of the Heavens
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The brilliant idea behind this book is the inclusion of selected, original, translated "Great Works of Physics and Astronomy" (which is the book's subtitle). These works were written by five intellectual "giants" (all men whose portraits are shown on the book's cover). This book's title "On the Shoulders of Giants" was a phrase used in a letter by one of these men and the meaning of it is the theme of this book. Its meaning, as Dr. Stephen Hawking states, is "how science...is a series of incremental advances each building on what went before." This book uses these five men's great works "to trace the evolution of our picture of the heavens."

This book was edited and has "commentary" by Hawking. The reader is not told exactly what Hawking's commentary is but I assume it is the short but excellent introduction to the book, the brief but informative biographies or "Life and Work" of each man, and the helpful footnotes included with each great work. All these as a whole comprise less than 2% ot this nearly 1300 page book.

I found in the page entitled "A Note on the Texts" the following: "The texts [or great works] in this book are based on translations of the original, printed editions [or papers]. [There has been] no attempt to modernize [or correct] the author's own distinct usage, spelling, or punctuation, or to make the texts consistent with each other in this regard." I assume this also applies to errors in grammar and errors to equations (such as omissions). That is, any errors in the original, translated papers are not corrected.

Who were these giants and what great work (that's included in this book) did they produce? The answer is as follows:

1. Nicolaus Copernicus (1473 to 1543). The work included is entitled "On the Revolutions of [the] Heavenly Spheres" (1543). This work was the beginning of the Sun-centered "Copernican revolution." It has an introduction and six parts or "books." This work comprises about 30% of this book.

2. Galileo Galilei (1564 to 1642). Work included: "Dialogues [or Discourses and Mathematical Demonstrations] Concerning Two [New] Sciences" (1638). This work "is widely held to be the cornerstone of modern physics." It has four parts or "days." It comprises about 18% of the book.

3. Johannes Kepler (1571 to 1630). Work included: Book Five of "Harmonies of the World" (1618). With this book and his other four, "Kepler discovered how planets orbited." It has an introduction and ten chapters. Comprises 7% of this book.

4. Sir Isaac Newton (1642 to 1727). Work included: "The Mathematical Priciples of Natural Philosophy" (1687). Better known as "The Principia." This work includes Newton's three laws of motion and his law of universal gravitation. It has an introduction and three parts or "books." Comprises 34% of this book.

5. Albert Einstein (1879 to 1955). Work (which was co-authored) includes: Seven selections from "The Principles of Relativity: A Collection of Original Papers on the Special Theory of Relativity" (1922). In these works, read how Einstein altered our perception of space and time. Comprises 8% of this book.

To read the works of Copernicus, Galileo, and Kepler, it would be helpful to know some geometry, trigonometry, and algebra. The same goes for the work of Newton but knowing some calculus would also be helpful. For the works of Einstein, knowing some advanced mathematics (such as advanced calculus) would be helpful.

I found, for myself, that in all of the above great works, the person's thought processes could be easily followed (even if the mathematics was unclear). This even applied to the works of Einstein. I recommend reading each of these works slowly and taking frequent breaks since the reading can become tedious at times.

There were three problems I found with this book:

First, the table of contents. For the major works, it just states their title and page number of where they begin. For example, the work of Einstein begins on page 1167 and that's all we're told!! Why not list the seven selections that are included? Thus, state in the table of contents that one selection has the title "On the Influence of Gravitation on the Propagation of Light" and that it begins on page 1193. Or consider the work of Copernicus. Why not state that part four of his work starts on page 197? Since this book is so large (and probably intimitating to some), I feel that a good, detailed table of contents is imperative.

Second, I found small errors in that 1% of the book that does not include the great works and Life & Work sections. (Fortunately, these errors are corrected in these sections of the book.) For example, in the "A Note on the Texts" page, we are told that "Kepler completed [his] work on May...1816." But he died in 1630! Or the table of contents states that Newton's birth year was 1643. I don't normally nit-pick like this, but since there were only five men, I feel that little errors like this should not be made.

Third, the "Life and Work" sections are not referenced. Where was this detailed information obtained?

Finally, a few equations in the Einstein papers have errors (like omissions, etc.) As explained above, these were probably in the original, printed work and thus were not corrected. In most cases, I found I could correct the error myself. I did find three equations where some variables were cut-off. I found I could easily deduce what the variables should be. Even with these minor errors, the Einstein section is still very informative and usable.

In conclusion, these five intellectual giants revolutionized the course of science. Be sure to get this first-ever compilation of their great works!!

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Typos make the Einstein section unusable
On the Shoulders of Giants. ISBN 0-7264-1348-4. Stephen Hawking, ed. [2002]

I bought this book at one of the giant bookstores. The printing / production has mechanical errors which make the book publisher less credible, in the section for Einstein. Some well-known physics book publishers provide corrected pages on the Internet. Could the publisher provide some pdf files with corrections for the following pages? Are these corrections available to us?

I purchased this book just to study the papers by Einstein. Here are some transcription errors:
page 1190: 2nd equation is mal-formed.
page 1191: top equation is clipped.
page 1194: top equation is clipped.
page 1232: equation 54 is mal-formed.
page 1235: equation 59 is mal-formed..
page 1237: line 6 from bottom, an in-line expression is clipped and not understandable.
page 1239: lines 11-12 have expressions with subscripts only, but no variables.
page 1263: equation 17 is mal-formed.

According to the publicity note,
"World-renowned physicist and bestselling author Stephen Hawking presents a revolutionary look at the momentous discoveries that changed our perception of the world with this first-ever compilation of seven classic works on physics and astronomy. His choice of landmark writings by some of the world's great thinkers traces the brilliant evolution of modern science and shows how each figure built upon the genius of his predecessors. On the Shoulders of Giants includes, in their entirety, On the Revolution of Heavenly Spheres by Nicolaus Copernicus; Principia by Sir Isaac Newton; The Principle of Relativity by Albert Einstein; Dialogues Concerning Two Sciences by Galileo Galilei with Alfonso De Salvio; plus Mystery of the Cosmos, Harmony of the World, and Rudolphine Tables by Johannes Kepler. It also includes five critical essays and a biography of each featured physicist, written by Hawking himself. "

Put your wallet back in your pocket, unless...
Fortunately, my public library has this book and I was able to check it out before laying out my dough.
As others have said, the only Stephen Hawking material in this book is the short intro. I would much rather consult the individual works as I see the need rather than relying on Hawking (or most likely--the publisher/editor) to provide me a pricey package which has little apparent added value. Its sort of like an Oprah Book Club selection--Steve Hawking says its good, so I guess I'll buy it. For the general public (dumb guys like me) who love astronomy and astrophysics, Timothy Ferris' books are a lot more fun and approachable.

The Necessary Anthology
I can't say enough about how much this compilation of revolutionary works should be on any true human's shelf. It outlines the way in which our world has mathematically and scientifically evolved in the way that no other anthology can.

Read 'Principia...', for no one does it like Newton himself.
Having spent years teaching high school Physics - including the ubiquitous F=ma - I was humbled by the elegance and clarity of Newton's own derivation. There is nothing that I - or authors of textbooks I have seen - can come up with that will explain the three Laws of Motion better than Newton's own presentation. I am surprised that this is not compulsory reading in standard college Physics courses or, more importantly, in teacher training. The 'Principia...' are not just of historical interest - they can still be used in education today. It makes, for example, a refreshing change to teach the 2nd Law without using the term 'acceleration', focussing on momentum ('movement' in Newton's language) instead.
I'm also ashamed to admit it took me so long to notice that since Newton followed Kepler (one of the 'giants' to whom Newton's statement refers), Newton derived the Law of Gravitation by combining Kepler's 3rd with his own 2nd and not, as many syllabi would have our students believe, the other way round ["derive Kepler's 3rd law..."]. Better late than never... ... Read more

Book Description

Celestron's NexStar telescopes were introduced in 1999, beginning with their first computer controlled "go to" model, a 5-inch. More models appeared in quick succession, and Celestron's new range made it one of the two dominant manufacturers of affordable "go to" telescopes. Michael Swanson's online discussions with literally thousands of NexStar owners made it clear that there was a desperate need for a book such as this - one that provides a complete, detailed guide to buying, using and maintaining NexStar telescopes. Although this book is highly comprehensive, it is suitable for beginners - there is a chapter on "Astronomy Basics" - and experts alike. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Comprehensive. Concise. Practical.
This is excellent. This text provides all the information you will need to troubleshoot your nexstar system. I have recommended that it be shipped with each nexstar telescope sold.
Celestron could save a lot of time answering questions if they would do so.

Indispensable!
If you are looking to use a Celestron Nexstar computer guided GOTO telescope and mount, then this book will take you through every stage of setup, operation and maintenance, in a very user-friendly and readable manner. For the novice astronomer, the first chapter provides a thorough 40-page introduction on basic observational astronomy. Additional elements include chapters on astronomical software, connecting a PC, photography and planning your observations. In short, very highly recommended.

Wonderful resource!
This book is a must have for any owner of a NexStar series telescope. I've owned my NexStar11 GPS for almost three years and find Mike's book very informative and well written. It's wonderful to have a such an incredibly detailed resource at your fingertips. No matter if you are thinking of buying or already own a NexStar telescope, I highly recommend you add this book to your library.

celestron 9.25 user
I recently purchased a Celestron 9.25" Nexstar telescope. The scope is great but the owner's manual that came with it leaves a lot to be desired. After just a quick scan of Swanson's book, I discovered several useful tips that I have already put to use (e.g., how to position the index marking decal that had come off; the Nexstar Resource site; and the availability of a template from Starizona for making it easier to put the scope on the tripod). Anyone thinking about buying a Celeston Nexstar scope should consider purchasi