Space on my bookshelves

books that Bletchley Park genius Alan Turing borrowed from his school library

Blimey, I'm feeling slightly inadequate now. That's some reading list for a school kid.

However, my excuse is that, having gone to a comprehensive school in deepest darkest Charlton, my school library most certainly wouldn't have even known of the existence of many of these books 😉 As for keeping a record of what I borrowed... I think not! The librarian would have been more concerned about stopping somebody from burning the place down!

So, lucky me. I dread to think what people would have thought of my borrowings from the school library (hmmm... bit of a Tolkien fixation, Meynell?!?).

Well, this morning, I received Full Moon book by Michael Light as per Mike's recommendation.

As it was out of current publication, I had to seek it second hand but as new as possible. My book seems nice and pristine and doesnt look like it has been paged through at all. Sweet. The photos look great but.....

...the book is much smaller in size than I expected. Although its a quality hardback and thick card-like pages, its only an 8.5" X 8.5" square format which is about 3/4 of an A4 page. It feels too compact. I wonder if there was originally, a larger version?

On quickly leafing through the marvelous photos, I would have liked some very brief narrative on some of the photos. However, I can see that was an artistic choice and its intention is for us to fill in the narrative purely from the visual journey of these photos. I just would have preferred otherwise as I cant always work out what I am seeing.

Its still an impressive work but I just cant help feeling that these photos deserve a much larger canvas so a little disappointed on its presentation but I look forward to leafing through the journey from beginning to end tonight.

its only an 8.5″ X 8.5″ square format

You've just sent me scurrying back to my book shelves to check again... my version is a full-size 12" x 12" (30x30cm) format. Having just done a quick Amazon search, I've seen that there is a "compact" edition available... perhaps this is the version that you have, Tej?

Also, in my version, there is a narrative for each photo - it is in a separate section of around 14 pages at the back of the book. Does your version have this?

Ah that explains it. I want your version! Thanks for checking.

You're right, there is a narrative for each photo grouped together at the back of the book but compressed in a eye squinting 6 pages. But at least there is a narrative, happy to see that.

I most definitely have ended up with a compact version. Now that I know there is a full size version, I'll have to try seek that out and hopefully, I can maybe return this one.

OK so it seems the 2002 editions are the compact editions (which is the edition I have). 1999 publications are the full size ones.

it seems the 2002 editions are the compact editions

Can't understand why they would have released a compact edition for a book like this? It pretty much defeats the object of having the pictures printed on high quality paper if they are too bleedin' small to see!!

I hope you can get hold of the larger format copy.

No doubt some publishing executive who knows bugger-all about astronomy or photography was inspired by the then-emerging trend for handbag-sized editions of Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, etc...

My thoughts exactly. But if compact sounds puzzling...how about the fact that there is a Kindle edition of many of these type of books such as the Wonders of series.

I just ordered the large edition for a reasonable price, condition: "very good". From the states though, with an 18 day delivery...perhaps delivered by yacht!

I have just started reading a new book by Nicholas Mee. Gravity, Cracking the cosmic code( from falling apples to supermassive black holes), I shall write a review when I have finished.

a new book by Nicholas Mee

Let me know what this book is like, Brian. I enjoyed his last book on the "Higgs Force".

Interesting, I bumped into Nicholas Mee at the International Astronomy Show in Leamington a few weeks ago. We had a brief chat, and he told me about his new book on Gravity. I asked for his opinions on MOND, and he was vehemently anti the theory... almost saying that he would give up Physics if the theory became accepted!!

Obviously, feelings are running rather high about this topic 🙂

Look forward to the review, Brian!

Mike, Modified Newton Dynamics is very interesting, thanks for the link. I knew of the mystery of why further from center stars have similar speeds to nearer stars but I thought that the popular speculation was dark energy pushes on the galaxies, contributing to their known formations?

I received my Full version of the Full Moon. Now that's more like it! Much larger. Very square size so broader than a standard coffee table book but shorter.

In comparing to the Compact edition, I notice that the separate Narrative index pages include smaller thumbprint versions of the main photos alongside each narrative box which helps to quickly pick the right narrative for the photo in the main body of the book. The compact edition does not have the thumb size photos, it just has narattive text with page numbers to cross reference the photos in the book. Its still a very cumbersome way to journey through the book. I would have prefered the text to be on the main pages beside the photos. Considering that there are numerous "blank" pages, these could have been used to print the narratives.

Will journey through the book and give my thoughts later!

UK space shot's tribute to Newton

British astronaut Tim Peake has picked "Principia" to be the name of his mission into space next year.

Read more:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-28329097

British astronaut Tim Peake has picked “Principia” to be the name of his mission into space next year

Very good... but does he know how to pronounce it? 😉

Never mind pronouncing it - does he know how to read it???

The Immortal Fire Within – The Life and Work of Edward Emerson Barnard – William Sheehan 1995. Another astronomical hero of mine…

FYI there's a short (half-page) article about Barnard in the August Astronomy Now, talking about his obervation of a star not seen before - or since!

Which reminds me: what's everyone's favourite astronomy magazine(s)?