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Useful for some simple astro data.
The style of the book is a bit tedious: it reads like is
all an introduction or post-mortem to a narrative history that
hasn't been written.
H. Floris Cohen (Co-357
gives a lengthy critique of the book.
Actually, the book's only lasting value will be as literature.
The historical phase of cosmological science the book details
will inevitably become just an episode between the heroic
period of Einstein and the cosmology of the future.
The contributions of the players of the book
will have only the importance
of a necessary part of the future whole: the future whole
being a moving target for as far as we can see.
As particular individuals---actual persons---this book may
well be the monument of Sandage and the others.
I know Alex Filippenko.
Pitt, William Pitt the Younger (1759--1806), British prime minister
1783--1801 and 1804--1806.
Pitt led the recover of Britain from the mismanagement and defeat
of the American Revolutionary war.
And they became war leader of Britain and to a degree of Europe
against Revolutionary-Napoleonic France.
Able, eloquent, and honest, he is generally considered to be
an outstanding prime minister.
He was also the youngest prime minister of Britain.
Undoubtably he owed his early rise (but not his rise per se)
to being the son of his father William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham,
an earlier outstanding prime minister.
Maybe the future is rosy: or to be less-cliched, roses all the way.
Dated in some respects and by modern standards awfully
dry, but still useful.
A popular account Stonehenge, Maya, and Inca astronomy.
A bit heavy on the praise for their interesting, but
modest astronomical achievments. The architectural
achievements of these ancient ones seem much more impressive to me.
The most authoritative desk dictionary every published---it says
so right on the cover.
Badly dated, but still an interesting account of the
state of cosmology at the beginning of the 1960's.
I do think Bondi is sometimes too elaborate
in arguing his philosophical points.
Pretty fair, but it really covers only the
epoch since 1500 or or in detail.
An introduction to philosophy of science. Its seems good to me.
A battered, thin, old paperback that I find a convenient
resource.
The standard of its topic.
But Don should really bring out a new edition.
The real author is Newton, but all the apparatus is that
of the translators. It was a mistake of Newton to write in
Latin in the first place. Who cares what those dogs on the
Continent think anyway.
A book for science majors. Pretty fair, but not exhaustive.
No color pictures.
A good book, but bound to become dated a very few years after
publication.
A reasonable intro astro book. Kaufmann has left this veil of tears.
C. W. Allen produced three editions of Astrophysical
Quantities, his famous handbook of astronomical quantities
and useful miscellaneous facts.
The first edition was in 1955 and the last in 1976.
The book was so widely used in invariably called
Allen's Astrophysical Quantities.
So finally years after his passing, he passed from author
to eponym for good and a year 2000 4th edition was finally issued
with editor Arthur N. Cox.
The contributers include some old friends and friendly
acquaintances: Doug Hall (Vanderbilt Univ.), Josh Grindlay
(CfA), Summer Starrfield (Arizona State Univ.), Steve Shore
(Indiana Univ. South Bend), Craig Wheeler (Univ. of Texas, Austin)
Stefano Benetti (Asiago Obs.), Michael Zeilik (Univ. of New Mexico),
Hugh Harris (US Naval Obs.), Bill Harris (McMaster Univ.), and
Virginia Trimble (Univ. of California) with whom I once exchanged
two words. And Joseph Silk (Oxford??) with whom maybe 3 words.
It seems the classic about the necessities for
development of technologically and intellectually
advanced human societies.
A useful set of simple, cheap physics experiments.
Most are qualitative and not of use if quantitative
physics projects are needed.
Probably some useful simple, cheap physics experiments.
Important for specifying the role of printing in transforming
European and world history. As Eisenstein points out printing
is often cited as a key development, but without specifying
how it effected things. Quite frankly
much of the intellectual and, in particular, scientific development
since 1450 would not have been possible without printing.
It provided people with cheap abundant sources: they could
learn far more, they could see deficiencies and begin nonlinear
cycles of improvements, they could come to see that it was
profitable to publish secret methods not hide them.
Still printing is not itself a unique cause: the cultural
context is also key. In the pluralistic, relatively progressive
Europe, printing was explosively revolutionary. In China where
it came circa the 8th century, it tended to enhence conformity
and tradition due to tight political control and probably
non-political social factors.
A useful book, but badly dated now.
Interesting popular book on how climate change has affected humankind
over the last 20,000 years or so. But it could use better graphs
and illustrations. Also the selection of cases seems a bit
haphazard and there's some jumping around. Not the definitive book
on the subject.
Seems an authoritive presentation of the Galileo affair.
Somewhat dated, but I'm familiar with it. As with all good
intro astro books, there are some points they discuss that
others evade.
A slightly elevated intro astro book.
Kaufmann has left this veil of tears.
Still seems a pretty good book on its subject.
Good popular account of Medieval technology.
Goldstein is the old classic of advanced classical mechanics.
Quite frankly his approach is probably out of date.
But there are still lots of good things in Goldstein.
Alas the 3rd edition is riddled with typos: almost one per page.
It's embarrasing really.
Seems a very good book on what the title says. For physicists
it may seem a bit wordy at times, but even physicists sometimes
need more than shorthand to understand sublte points.
It grows on you.
Pretty standard intro physics with calculus book.
A soon to be dated book. It is probably about the best
of the intro astro books that I've seen. But, of course,
it doesn't have everything. Annoyingly, it doesn't have
any color pictures.
Dated now, but still full of good stuff.
William J. Kaufmann, III is the author.
A dated book, but it has some basic materials omitted from
later snazzier books. No color pictures, but it was before
color was de rigeur.
It's on my shelf.
Recent, seems good, and the author seems a great stylist.
He has his strong positions: negative on social constructivism,
but who isn't.
Decent book on the physical sciences. A fair number of
typos and small errors. The cosmology part is badly dated even
for the publication year: the acceleration
of the universe is not noticed.
Famous, influential, controversial, dated?
Interesting, but you soon get bogged in springs and things.
Glib sometimes, even flippant, polemical, but it may
all be right as far as it goes.
Having good geography and climate helps. But the main thing
is cultural values: if you have the work ethic, are humane and
democratic, adopt rational means to worthy ends,
your country too can be rich.
Seems OK.
A long read.
A short concise book.
Somewhat dated. As with all good
intro astro books, there are some points he discusses that
others evade. But overall it's pretty light. It's really
a coffee table book rather than an intro astro text.
A very elegant and persuasively written book. Lots of
strong opinions.
It's no doubt very dated by now.
It tells a good story in novelistic fashion.
I once heard Margret Geller say it wasn't very accurate.
Perhaps she meant the novelistic style conveyed nuances that
may be inaccurate. But if one is really going to know what
these people thought and felt, some boldness is necessary.
Perhaps like literature it should be read to be universal truth
with caution about the particulars.
The A. is for Anton as in Astronomical Institute Anton Pannekoek
in Amsterdam. A classic, but dated, still it covers some ground
that won't be easily found elsewhere.
A soon to be dated book. As all good intro astro books do,
it has some material not found elsewhere. Overall it seems
a bit lighter than most.
Presocratics to Copernicus with copious references and
a biographical dictionary.
This is solid, hardcore stuff without going on and on.
The CIE stanard human eye response curve is on p. 19.2
A good paper now getting somewhat dated. But I have a copy
of it.
A good popular short biography it seems to me.
Perhaps it lacks piquance and memorability.
Somewhat dated, but I'm familiar with it. As with all good
intro astro books, there are some points he discusses that
others evade.
Surely dated, but I own a copy and much is probably still just fine.
As with all good
intro astro books, there are some points he discusses that
others evade. It seems good on comparative planetology.
Good on the romantic history of Mars. Lowell and canals
and all.
It covers physics, chemistry, geology, meteorology. It is
a useful supplement to an intro astro teachers intro astro
books.
A standard physical astronomy text. My edition is
badly out of date now.
Seems a pretty authoritative synthesis by someone with
a strong mind of his own.
Seems a pretty authoritative synthesis by someone with
a strong mind of his own.
Probably the definitive Tycho biography.
It probably doesn't have a long shelf-life and the cliche style
annoys me although maybe its consistency is its saving grace, but
Vaitheeswaran may be right all along.
Popular account of the fate of the Earth.
But what happens to humankind is not discussed.
Something must happen too us: extinction or transcendence.
I think this is a pretty good bit of translation.