Customer Reviews

The History of the Telescope (Dover Books on Astronomy)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
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After 50 years, this still probably packs more historical fact in one place than any other book on the history of telescopes. But it's also dry reading. Great for the serious amateur, but not for the casual reader. If you're looking for an entertaining historical account, that includes the politics and personalites behind the telescopes in addition to the dryer facts, try Fred Watson's new book, Stargazer: The Life and Times of the Telescope.

This is a case where the title pretty much says it all. This is a reprint of Henry C. King's classic , originally published in 1955.

The time span covers pretty much the beginnings of visual astronomy through the Mount Palomar 200" Hale telescope. A particularly interesting era is the 18th century , with many notable advances made in glass manufacture and beginning of very large reflecting telescopes in the hands of Sir William Herschel. As the author moves into the 19th century , the names of Joseph Fraunhofer and Alvan Clark take center stage.

The invention of many other auxilliary astronomical instruments are also included in this fine work.

There aren't many other works for comparison , so --- 5 stars!