There are many, many books on astronomy and telescopes but very, very few on antique telescopes. Following is a list of the most interesting and informative. These are not the usual "coffee-table" books that you will find plenty of, but a few volumes that are really worth reading, not only for their scholarly approach but also for sheer enjoyment. At least one of them, Longitude, was not only a national best seller, but is a real "page turner."

Telescope History

• NEW! Watson, Fred. Stargazer: The Life and Times of the Telescope Da Capo Press 2005
  The must-have book for the history of the telescope.


• King, Heny C. The History of the Telescope Dover Publications reprint, 2003
  The classic text and for years the only text on the history of telescopes.


• Glass, I.S. Victorian Telescope Makers The lives and letters of Thomas and Howard Grubb. Institute of Physics Publishing, London. 1997


• Learner, Richard. Astronomy through the Telescope. The 500-year story of the Instruments, the Inventors, and their Discoveries. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York 1981


• Warner, Deboarah Hean and Ariail, Robert B. Alvan Clark & Sons, Artists in Optics Willman-Bell Inc. Virginia, 1996


• Cheetham, Reginald J. Old Telescopes Out of print but often found on ebay.

History of Astronomy

• Aveni, Anthony F. Ancient Astronomers. St. Remy Press, Montreal. Smithsonian Books, Wash D.C. 1993


• Burke, James. The Day the Universe Changed How Galileo's telescope changed the truth--and other events in history that dramatically altered our understanding of the world. London Writers Ltd, London. 1995.


• Krupp, E.C. Echoes of the Ancient Skies, The astronomy of lost civilizations. Harper and Row, New York, 1983.


• Sobel, Dava. Longitude The true story of a lone genius who solved the greatest scientific problem of his time. Penguin Books, NY. 1995


• Maury, Jean Pierre. Newton, the Father of Modern Astronomy Harry N. Abrams, NY.


• Sagan, Carl COSMOS Random House, NY. 1980


• Walker, Christopher. Astronomy before the telescope. St. Martin's Press, NY, 1996.


• Kelley,, David H. and Milone, Eugene R. Exploring Ancient Skies: An Encyclopedic Survey of Archaeoastronomy Springer, 2005.


• Linton, C.M. From Eudoxus to Einstein: A History of Mathematical Astronomy Cambridge University Press 2004.

My trilogy traces the first astronomical records of a solar flare in 1100 BC as recorded on ancient tablets (The Colors of Fire), and follows the trail of the tablets as they reappear during the crusades (Of Princes and Kings) and again during modern times (Flare). "A compelling combination of fictional narrative and scholarship, Brown combines his knowledge of ancient peoples with historic battles in a fast-paced , believable story of love, magic, fire, and war." -Modern Times.

	Colors of Fire		Of Princes and Kings		Flare