The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Stars

In his introduction the James Kaler, Professor Emeritus of Astronomy at the University of Illinois, tells us that age eight he produced a notebook of things he knew about stars and half jokingly suggests that this book is a new version of that. Professor Kaler's enthusiasm for stars shows through in the way he writes, and the brief introductions to each chapter show the sense of wonder about the stars which must have lasted since boyhood.

This book lies halfway between a textbook and an encyclopedia. The subject matter is divided into 15 chapters in turn subdivided into subchapters. Each...