Nightwatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe Spiral-bound – 3 May 2001

I ordered this book as a gift for my husband. It was advertised by Amazon as ‘new’ although published around 10 years ago, so I just assumed it was old stock. The book arrived yesterday from Brit Bookswith a slip from the Seller indicating that the book was used but in ‘good’ condition. However it reeked of damp and mustiness. The smell as one turned the pages was vile and if left inside stank out the room. I have it outside at the moment, hoping the fresh air will ‘dry it out’. The smell is still just as stomach turning and the pages are starting to curl up. It’s not worth going to the trouble of sending it back as I only paid £4.70 for it but no-one should sell a book in this condition, let alone advertise it as ‘new’ or ‘good’.

Have just got into astronomy and was advised to buy this book. It is perfect for looking at the night sky, and recognising what I see - it explains the view at different times of the year and from different locations. A great book well worth buying.

good value.

very good

As a new beginner to Astronomy, I bought two books, this being one of them, and the other being "Turn Left at Orion".Both have their individual merits. TLAO is great for providing fine detail to how to find the object that you are searching for, and shows what it should look like in the telescope and/or binoculars. This is something thats missing from Nightwatch.NW does however provide very good star maps based on individual constellations, and seasonal skycharts, all of which provide general locations for all major objects. This is what is missing from TLAO.Used in conjunction, both books work well, however Nightwatch is the book that I prefer. Reason being, that Nightwatch is a much more complete reference book for the "seeable" cosmos. Fantastic background material and pictures of the major objects which serve to whet the appetite for scope viewing. I have located many objects through use of the constellation maps. If I have trouble finding them, that is when I turn to TLAO. NW also has the advantage of having a spiral bound format which makes the book highly user friendly in "the field"I would highly recommend this book to anyone having a passing interest in the night sky for its sheer completeness.

This is the first book I bought on the subject of astronomy and it has turned out to be a very worthwhile purchase. Terence Dickenson has a down to earth, easy to read writing style and this book invites you to rush outside and look up at the stars within 10 minutes!Nightwatch is a balanced mix between informing the complete novice about the workings of the Universe and providing those with a bit more experience some useful star maps and tips on viewing using binoculars or small telescopes.This book has been put together immaculately and with a lot of thought as to the layout, even down to the ring-bound spine, which helps the book stay open during star-gazing.Its inevitable that the serious amateur will grow out of this book since it wasn’t designed to include detailed star atlases, but it should be purchased as a good starting point to familiarise yourself with the night sky.Nightwatch is very highly recommended to anyone who wonders about our Universe.