Contains a treasure-trove of historical information about the characters, culture and observing styles of the greatest visual observers in history Provides a chronology of observatories – both lavish and humble – and how they evolved over the centuries

Dr. Neil English is an internationally respected author of several books on amateur astronomy and space science, including Choosing and Using a Refracting Telescope, Space Telescopes: A History, Classic Telescopes and Choosing and Using a Dobsonian Telescope. He is a long-time regular contributor to Astronomy Now magazine and has a particular interest in the history of visual telescopic astronomy. The proud owner of a 5-inch f/12 classical achromat, he also enjoys using a variety of Newtonian reflectors from his home in rural, central Scotland.