The Stars: A New Way to See Them 
asked by squeege on October 30, 2006 7:52 PM
This is a clear, vivid text with charts and maps showing the positions of the constellations the year round.
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This book seems to have just the right amount of information in it. I came across this book in the library and found myself reading quite a bit of it even before I showed my daughter the book (we were looking for books for her.) She later received this as a gift. I think this book is good for kids probably seven and up, my son is six and does look through it but I don't know that he fully get's it. Great book.
reviewed by ozone on November 8, 2006 7:44 PM
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The reviews on this book are remarkably accurate. This is not a childrens' book. Even though decades have passed since it was first published, no other text has been able to bump it off a 'best in class' position. If you want to look to the sky for familiar shapes, this is the book for you.
There are a couple of fundamental ways to study the heavens. A 'modern' approach might be to put your head down, click in a few celestial coordiantes, and wait for the telescope to find a target for you. However a more interesing approach would be to find shape in the sky and locate targets manually. To do that you need to recognize those old landmarks in the sky, the constellations.
The big problem in identifying constellations is to find shape from seemingly random dots. Ray creatively used the same stars, but made 'new' stick diagrams that actually look like what they are supposed to represent. This makes a constellation much easier to visualize, remember, and recognize later. Other texts that attempt this effort fall short because they don't emphasize visual recognition clues.
A major fault of modern texts is the inclusion of unnecessary detail. Ray puts in a few choice details that help the memory and add interesting character to the figures in the sky. But by excluding minutia he draws the reader back to the goal at hand. Ultimately you need to memorize a blueprint of the sky, and this workbook will be your best friend to help reach that goal. Bravo.
There are a couple of fundamental ways to study the heavens. A 'modern' approach might be to put your head down, click in a few celestial coordiantes, and wait for the telescope to find a target for you. However a more interesing approach would be to find shape in the sky and locate targets manually. To do that you need to recognize those old landmarks in the sky, the constellations.
The big problem in identifying constellations is to find shape from seemingly random dots. Ray creatively used the same stars, but made 'new' stick diagrams that actually look like what they are supposed to represent. This makes a constellation much easier to visualize, remember, and recognize later. Other texts that attempt this effort fall short because they don't emphasize visual recognition clues.
A major fault of modern texts is the inclusion of unnecessary detail. Ray puts in a few choice details that help the memory and add interesting character to the figures in the sky. But by excluding minutia he draws the reader back to the goal at hand. Ultimately you need to memorize a blueprint of the sky, and this workbook will be your best friend to help reach that goal. Bravo.
reviewed by ladyrunner on November 17, 2006 10:26 AM
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i love this book unconditionally. it's scientific and historical explanations are clear and interesting, and it's easy to use. i've learned so many constellations! i'd recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone wanting to learn more about what they see at night.
reviewed by flow on November 21, 2006 12:35 PM