Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim Thompson
I am not familiar with the introductory astronomy books, but anything from Filippenko can't be bad. I like James Kaler's books, at least the ones I have. Extreme Stars, The Hundred Greatest Stars, Stars, and Cosmic Clouds are all books I have and like. They are not broad general astronomy books, as you can guess from the titles. But they are accessible to general readers, I think, and I am a fan of stars, so his books are a natural for me. |
I'm biased because I know Jim Kaler and have been his TA, but he is seriously one of the best public-outreach types for astronomy. His books would be very accessible, and he really knows what he's talking about. He did write a textbook (titled
Astronomy!) years ago. It's out of print, but it would be right up the alley of what the OP is looking for.