A CONCISE HISTORY OF ASTRONOMY

The science of astronomy has advanced so rapidly in the course of this century that a backward look is necessary to help achieve a sense of perspective. This is accomplished in this solid, well-organized account of astronomy, beginning six thousand years go with the Babylonians and proceeding through Chinese, Egyptian, Greek and Western European astronomy, right through to discoveries as recent as 1949. Brief biographies key figures in astronomy help to outline and vitalize the history, but the lack of illustrations make the book somewhat too difficult for the beginner. Its complete index, bibliography and footnotes add to its value as a reference book for schools and libraries.