Seeing in the Dark: 08/29/07
Seeing in the Dark is a short but dense series of essays on different aspects of amateur astronomy. Each chapter is a different topic or a different experience from Timothy Ferris's life.

Ferris begins his fascinating book by describing how he got hooked on astronomy as a child. He includes a loving review of an older science book: A Child's Geography of the World by V. M. Hillyer. I was so excited by his review of his childhood favorite, that I bought a copy for myself!

Seeing in the Dark took me longer than I expected to read. It's full of so many interesting details and facts that I had to savor each chapter. One of my favorite bits was his meeting with Clyde Tombaugh (1906-1997), the man who discovered Pluto. Apparently the Smithsonian asked him for the telescope he used to make the discovery. Tombaugh turned down their request. Why? He was still using it!

nonfiction | books | timothy ferris

Comments (2)

Permalink

Comment #1: Friday, August, 31, 2007 at 12:01:49

Gail Rubin says:
" There's a PBS program coming up based on Seeing in the Dark that's airing Wednesday, September 19 at 8:00 p.m. (but check local listings). You can find out more about it at www.seeinginthedark.org. "

Comment #2: Saturday, September, 1, 2007 at 02:12:14

alisonwonderland says:
"this looks like a very interesting book! i'm going to have to check it out! "