Customer Reviews

Galaxies and Cosmology (Astronomy and Astrophysics Library)

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This is one of a small handful of very clear & well-written Undergraduate (or beginning Graduate) textbooks focusing entirely on the properties of the objects known as galaxies in a detailed and comprehensive manner.

The total number of these relatively easy-to-understand (but also detailed & physical & quantitative) textbooks devoted to galaxies is very small, yet these are the very references that we most need in order to make that first giant step along the journey towards very-detailed and extensive "technical" knowledge.....to begin with only an "enthusiastic amateur" level of galaxy knowledge and then to gradually obtain that detailed knowledge of galaxies that characterizes the expert.

Other really good books in this category are: "Galaxies in the Universe" by L.S. Sparke & J.S. Gallagher ; "Modern Cosmological Observations and Problems" by Greg Bothun ; "The Milky Way as a Galaxy" by G.Gilmore & I.R. King & P.C. van der Kruit ; "Galactic Astronomy" by J.Binney & M.Merrifield ; "Nucleosynthesis and Chemical Evolution of Galaxies" by Bernard Pagel ; "Galactic Astronomy" by D. Mihalas & J. Binney. (Books in this category occupy various niches, at diverse readership levels ranging from "very highly motivated college student" through to "beginning graduate" level. )

If you are really serious about getting detailed & extensive knowledge of galaxies, you will need to read "Galaxies and Cosmology" , and also ALL of these mentioned books, because the magisterial breadth of humankind's knowledge of galaxies is such that each of these books covers only part of the necessary knowledge! To obtain expert knowledge about those "complex Beasts" that we call galaxies, you will also need to read other books on these relevant specialized topics: star formation, stellar evolution, the interstellar medium, galactic chemical evolution, Dynamics of Galaxies, Cosmology.

"Galaxies and Cosmology" is sometimes characterized as a graduate-level textbook, but in truth much of it is not too hard for the First or Second year university Science student (or Very Advanced college student) of Science who has a strong understanding of graphs and algebra and (at least some) calculus. This book is probably too hard for the average Advanced-level Amateur Astronomer, as the requisite background in maths and physics may not be available to such a reader; however, the person who is very comfortable with physical and mathematical argument won't have too much trouble with this book, especially if she/he has already read some serious books (NOT oversimplified & watered down) on other astronomical topics such as star formation, stellar evolution, structure of the Milky Way, the ISM, etc.
If you have a good physics background, or you have previously done a lot of seriously detailed studies in an area of science, the detailed technical arguments within this book could be challenging for you....but you WILL be able to understand this book (though perhaps with some effort.....).

End Notes: "An Introduction to Galaxies and Cosmology" by Jones & Lambourne, is actually about COSMOLOGY, and only deals with galaxies (as objects) in a quick broad-brush sketch.
"Galaxies and Galactic Structure" by D. M. Elmegreen is a notably simple and easy-to-read quantitative/physical textbook about galaxies; it is excellently written and potentially the quickest way to get understanding.....BUT Elmegreen's book is dangerously oversimplified and - from time to time - downright wrong.