davidpitre
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 05/10/05
Posts: 1360
Loc: Central Texas
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I'm like to hear of any astronomer biographies that come recommended. In or out of print. Old or new.
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David
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Richard Hendrix
sage
Reged: 08/02/06
Posts: 232
Loc: Jacksonville, Florida
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Quote:
I'm like to hear of any astronomer biographies that come recommended. In or out of print. Old or new.
Hi Daivd,
My favorite is "Starlight Nights: The Adventures of a Star-Gazer" by Leslie C. Peltier. I would rate this one very highly. I like to read this one as a pick me up!
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Richard Hendrix
Antares 105mm f/9.5 Elite Series Refractor
AstroTelescopes 102mm f/7 Refractor
Orion SkyView Pro 8" Intelliscope
Orion Scenix 10x50 Binoculars
Zhumell SuperGiant 20x80 binoculars
www.nightskyjournal.com
"Every star may be a sun to someone."
Carl Sagan, Cosmos
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BobinKy
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 04/27/07
Posts: 875
Loc: Country road
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David--
Sonoma State University has published several online biographies of astronomers awarded The Bruce Medal by The Astronomical Society of the Pacific (1828-2008).
Brief biographies of The Bruce Medalists
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Bob
38° Kentucky, USA
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RLTYS
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/18/04
Posts: 1631
Loc: New York (Long Island)
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David
I have the following:
"Starlight Nights" by Leslie Peltier a "must read" by ALL amateur astronomers.
"Lowell And Mars" by William Graves Hoyt an excellent book on Percival Lowell.
"Edmund Halley" by Alan Cook a massive book on the life and times of Edmund Halley.
"Carl Sagan a Life" by Keay Davidson, one of two biographiess on Carl Sagan.
"Clyde Tombaugh Discoverer of Planet Pluto" by David Levy. You'll learn alot about Clyde Tombaugh with this book. Also its signed by both David Levy and Clyde Tombaugh.
"Galileo's Daughter" by Dava Sobel, an excellent book that puts a new perspective on Galileo. Signed by the author.
"Edwin Hubble Mariner of the Nebula" by Gale E. Christianson, I literally just picked this book up last evening from a used book store.
Hope this helps.
Rich (RLTYS)
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10" F4.8 Refl.
4" F5 Refr.
80mm F5 Refr.
12x63 and 10x50 Binoculars.
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chexmix
sage
Reged: 12/01/04
Posts: 333
Loc: Arlington, MA, USA
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The bio of E. E. Barnard by Sheehan, _The Immortal Fire Within_, is fabulous if you can find an affordable copy. I had to look for a while, and wound up with one that has notes written in it ...
Empire of the Stars by Arthur I. Miller covers (in its way) both Eddington and Chandrasekhar, and is really really enjoyable.
I very much enjoyed the bio of Henry Norris Russell by David DeVorkin but it is really more a close biography of his work than of the man (that's not a criticism, just an observation). He was an academic and not really an observer ...
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8" Discovery DHQ
Celestron C102-HD
9x63 Orion mini-giants
(2) Frontally-placed visual organs, incl. lens, vitreous/aqueous humors, assorted rods, cones.
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jnmacastro
member
Reged: 04/27/07
Posts: 17
Loc: Rochester, MN
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Hi David,
Here's a brief bio on Robert Burnham Jr. of Burnham's Celestial Handbook fame,
Burnham bio . It's not a book, just a link, but very interesting.
Jeff
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Rumba
member
Reged: 09/08/04
Posts: 39
Loc: Spain
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"Starlight Nighs", the autobiography of Leslie C. Peltier is just one of the most enjoyable books I've ever read. It's so beautiful and inspiring.
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davidpitre
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 05/10/05
Posts: 1360
Loc: Central Texas
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Great suggestions.
Has there not been a biography of William Herschel written in the last century or so?
How about Agnes Clarke? I often hear here cited, but have never found any of her chronicles published. Did she write mainly in journals, or are her books just too long out of print to find.
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David
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desertstars
Say What?
Reged: 11/05/03
Posts: 28624
Loc: Tucson, AZ
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Quote:
Great suggestions.
Has there not been a biography of William Herschel written in the last century or so?
How about Agnes Clarke? I often hear here cited, but have never found any of her chronicles published. Did she write mainly in journals, or are her books just too long out of print to find.
I've found a few of her's (including a Herschell bio) on Google Books.
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Tom W.
SVP8 'She turned me into a 3-legged Newt' EQ
Ralph, the All-Purpose 102mm Refractor
Under the Desert Stars
It is a plain road from the earth to the stars though mortal feet can not tread it. Garret P. Serviss 1888
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Tony Flanders
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/18/06
Posts: 1778
Loc: Cambridge, MA, USA
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Quote:
Has there not been a biography of William Herschel written in the last century or so?
Oh yes. Since nobody else has mentioned it, The Herschel Partnership (as viewed by Caroline) is an excellent, though rather sad book.
And speaking of women, Galileo's Daughter, which has been mentioned already, is more than just an astronomer's biography; it's a genuinely important book. It manages to combine the very highest possible standard of academic scholarship with a thoroughly lucid (i.e. non-academic!) and enjoyable presentation. It covers not only Galileo's life in the context of his times, and his fascinating relationship with his fascinating daughter, but it's also a superb explanation of his scientific contributions.
And who would have thought that in our day and age, there would still be something brand-new and genuinely illuminating to say about Galileo, who has been studied intensively for centuries? Hats off to Dava Sobel!
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Tony Flanders
eyeglasses
6x15 and 8x32 monoculars
8x25, 7x35, 10x30 IS, 10x50, and 15x70 binoculars
70mm and 100mm achromatic refractors
4.5", 7", and 12.5" Dobs
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bicparker
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 02/07/05
Posts: 1346
Loc: Plano, TX
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Shoemaker by Levy
... and Caroline Herschel's biographical profile by Barbara Wilson in the appendix of Stephen James O'Meara's Hidden Treasures is a terrific piece in its own right.
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Bic Parker
17.5" f/5 dob
10" f/10 SCT
5" f/8 refractor
80mm f/6 refractor
66mm f/6 refractor
Plus a few others out of the rotation
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chexmix
sage
Reged: 12/01/04
Posts: 333
Loc: Arlington, MA, USA
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Quote:
How about Agnes Clarke? I often hear here cited, but have never found any of her chronicles published. Did she write mainly in journals, or are her books just too long out of print to find.
I think I have mentioned this elsewhere, but you can get a reprint one of Agnes Clerke's GREAT books in real hardcopy here:
http://www.sattre-press.com/han.html
... along with some vintage titles by Garrett P. Serviss.
Other Agnes Clerke stuff can be found (in PDF format) at books.google.com and at the Internet Archive:
http://www.archive.org
I love Agnes' writing. Top notch.
GB
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8" Discovery DHQ
Celestron C102-HD
9x63 Orion mini-giants
(2) Frontally-placed visual organs, incl. lens, vitreous/aqueous humors, assorted rods, cones.
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davidpitre
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 05/10/05
Posts: 1360
Loc: Central Texas
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Quote:
Quote:
Great suggestions.
Has there not been a biography of William Herschel written in the last century or so?
How about Agnes Clarke? I often hear here cited, but have never found any of her chronicles published. Did she write mainly in journals, or are her books just too long out of print to find.
I've found a few of her's (including a Herschell bio) on Google Books.
Which Herschel bio?
I've only come across this: www.williamherschel.org.uk/herschel%20chron.htm
$200. is the cheapest copy I've found.
Here is someone who has recently written a bio on Herschel:
mikelemonick.com/?p=5
It doesn't appear to have been published though.
Glenn. Thanks for the heads up on the Agnes Clerke 19th Century Astronomy book. I just ordered it, and it looks great. It's exactly the read I was looking for.
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David
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desertstars
Say What?
Reged: 11/05/03
Posts: 28624
Loc: Tucson, AZ
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This one: The Herschels and Modern Astronomy - Agnes M Clerke.
From this page of results:
Google Books
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Tom W.
SVP8 'She turned me into a 3-legged Newt' EQ
Ralph, the All-Purpose 102mm Refractor
Under the Desert Stars
It is a plain road from the earth to the stars though mortal feet can not tread it. Garret P. Serviss 1888
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chexmix
sage
Reged: 12/01/04
Posts: 333
Loc: Arlington, MA, USA
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David,
Quote:
Glenn. Thanks for the heads up on the Agnes Clerke 19th Century Astronomy book. I just ordered it, and it looks great. It's exactly the read I was looking for.
That's great - I'm glad to have sent some business the publisher's way! It's a small house, and he can use it. Plus, I've emailed with him some and he is a really nice guy.
That book is chock full of great stuff that has fallen out of astronomy history books over time. It's a real treasure box.
GB
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8" Discovery DHQ
Celestron C102-HD
9x63 Orion mini-giants
(2) Frontally-placed visual organs, incl. lens, vitreous/aqueous humors, assorted rods, cones.
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Nick Lloyd
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/24/06
Posts: 1536
Loc: cincinnati
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This isn't not a dedicated biography to one astronomer, but a really nice overview-biography and highlight of different astronomers.
Cosmic Discoveries by David Levy
http://tinyurl.com/5vb4bq
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"The best scope is the one you use." -rcg
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