This title is a comprehensive set of visual descriptions of deep-sky objects visible from the northern hemisphere. It is a record of the most extensive and systematic visual survey of the sky ever done in modern times. 3,000 deep-sky objects are listed with short descriptions of the visual appearance in the author's powerful binocular telescope. Objects in the book are organized by position for easy identification of unknown targets. Full indexes by catalog numbers and names allow searches for specific objects.

Ted Aranda earned his Master degree in history at the University of Chicago. From 1997 to 2008, he worked on obtaining a PhD at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Ted is a member of the Chicago Astronomical Society and has been an avid amateur astronomer and telescope maker for 25 years. He started observing the sky in 1986 from northern California using small binoculars and an 80mm telescope. In 1996, after having moved to Chicago, he designed and built a 10-inch Cassegrain binocular telescope, and used this along with two ancillary binoculars, to survey the sky more thoroughly.