Incoming: New book on eyepieces

[great_bear]

I have no doubt that this new book on eyepieces will be excellent.

It's by William Paolini, a well-respected and well-liked contributor - BillP - over on CloudyNights.

(I'm not associated with Bill or this book in any way)

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Sounds interesting. I do doubt that once this is published we will suddenly see a dip in the number of "which EP" threads (we do not need such a dip, it's a lovely pastime for when the skies are grey )

[AlexB67]

Sounds interesting. I do doubt that once this is published we will suddenly see a dip in the number of "which EP" threads (we do not need such a dip, it's a lovely pastime for when the skies are grey )

It is nice to see that people are so willing to discuss things, even though it is true that one thing I have noted about this forum is that a lot of the same questions get asked over and over, but personally I don't see anything wrong with it, it is after all a forum to discuss things, and because of the enthusiasm and the fact members like to discuss things, have conversations about whatever topic it may be it's all good .

A lot of other forums in other areas, you'd receive some rude answers for not using the search button, being lazy etc, I must admit I am one of those research it types before asking as much as I can, nevertheless I still very much enjoy seeing the same questions being asked again and again, what eyepices, what scope etc

It is one of the great things I found since joining, it is just a nice warm atmosphere in the lounge, a nice change from the so many other types of forums where rude behaviour and a generally unpleasant atmosphere seem to rule the roast.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

It is nice when people search, but at the same time, new EPs (and other pieces of kit) are coming out frequently, so information can grow stale. As an example, at the moment there are some seriously good deals around the "maxvision" brand name (rebranded Meade EPs) which are really good value for money. You would never get that info out of an old thread.

[emadmoussa]

OK, good one! But... £40?!!! It's not a multi-coated book, is it?

[RikM]

OK, good one! But... £40?!!! It's not a multi-coated book, is it?

Less than 10p per page. Not bad value for a quality reference book really.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

OK, good one! But... £40?!!! It's not a multi-coated book, is it?

This is not a book that is going to be on the bestseller lists, so they are comparatively expensive to to make; £40 is not excessive.

[emadmoussa]

I guess in the world of astronomy the copies sold will be counted in the hundreds...not best seller list like you say. I still think it's over-priced.

[AlexB67]

This is not a book that is going to be on the bestseller lists, so they are comparatively expensive to to make; £40 is not excessive.

I have some acedemic textbooks sitting on my shelf here, luckily I did not have to pay a penny, but anyway, fairly specialist stuff, of the order of 100s of pounds is not uncommon at all, one of them is priced £ 600 for non-academic buyers, so I'd say not bad value, considering a niche market.

[coulthamst]

I cannot agree that these paperback 234mmx156mm books in the Springer "Practical Astronomy" series are value for money. They are not academic books, and neither the paper nor the illustrations are of the highest quality.. They are aimed at the enthusiast astronomer. The writing is usually informative and of good quality,

I have a number of other interests (transport history, industrial archaeology, music amongst others) and regularly purchase specialist works in these fields that will sell in very limited numbers. For £30 I expect hard covers, 277mmx216mm format, and high quality gloss paper throughout

[coulthamst]

(O0ps! posted before I had finished!) Perhaps Springer are trying to brainwash us into believing that their product is the publishing equivalent of green and black.

[emadmoussa]

As much as I love astronomy, I still appreciate books even more. Many of which are highly specialized academic books...only limited number of them cost me more than £40 and they were at least twice the size with hardcover.

Having mentioned that, check Star Ware...similar type of book with more pages.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

If you do not like the price, do not buy it.

[foundaplanet]

OK, good one! But... £40?!!! It's not a multi-coated book, is it?

For a lifetimes worth of research and expertise I would say it is. It is not just about buying sheets of paper it is about investing in somebody else's knowledge.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I edited one book for Wiley (together with me mate Frits Schut), and that retailed for an eye-watering £235. Note that authors of chapters got something like £5 per page, and us editors got £1 (each) per book sold. I did not quit my day job

[AlexB67]

For a lifetimes worth of research and expertise I would say it is. It is not just about buying sheets of paper it is about investing in somebody else's knowledge.

It is a valid point. I know nothing about this book, what is covered and/or how detailed it may be to comment in the end of the day. As you say there is a big difference between writing about something that is based on knowledge that can be readily found in forums, the web or other cheaper texts, as opposed to the kind of books I was referring to in the hundreds, where years of research papers are condensed down into a text, are an invaluable reference, cover material you can only find in the original research papers; In that sense I can see why some books can be so costly, because downloading any research papers as a non academic can be easily 30 a shot, so the cost can quickly can rack up when you need to cross reference, not only that, It can be hard to understand them, and a well written in depth book covering research level material in the form of reviews etc. can be very useful and worth it.

[great_bear]

I'm definitely getting a copy myself - I've really enjoyed Bill's posts on the Eyepieces forum on CloudyNights and I learned a lot about eyepieces from his posts, and he's answered a lot of my questions that I posted in my early days. In particular I like his attention-to-detail and also the fact that he is one of those folks who really knows (and loves) his chosen subject.

I shudder to think how many eyepieces he's bought over the years, but I know it's a lot, and he's very thorough in his testing.

[endure]

This is not a book that is going to be on the bestseller lists, so they are comparatively expensive to to make; £40 is not excessive.

Surely that's true of all astronomy books? I suspect they'd sell a lot more if they priced them at £20 rather than £40.

[emadmoussa]

Mike, nobody is underestimating the man's exprtise and knowledge. Same applies to many other authors. Considering the effort and dedication poured into this work it deserves more than 40 pounds as a return of investment. However, this ROI is purely intellectual in value and doesn't necessarily represent the market value especially when it comes to matetial rather than intellect.

Would I buy it? Well, perhaps if I've become an enthusiast with significant knowledge in the field - like yourself. For the time being, I would think twice before buying it. I like the idea of squeezing such a book amongst my other books though. Im sure it contains a wealth of knowledge. We'll see...you might buy the book then I snatch it second hand from you

[endure]

The implication of a book called 'Choosing and Using Astronomical Eyepieces' is that it has been written for people who aren't yet sufficiently knowledgeable to chose their own. People like me in fact. I'd be really interested in buying it if it wasn't for the fact that for the same money I could buy what sounds to me to be a reasonable eyepiece. I'd happily spend 20 quid on the book but 40 quid would buy me a 32mm Plossl.

[great_bear]

I'd be really interested in buying it if it wasn't for the fact that for the same money I could buy what sounds to me to be a reasonable eyepiece.

Excellent point, well made!

[rwilkey]

I think this will be a good book, as there is a definate gap in the market, I will certainly be getting a copy (birthday coming up haha!).

[stevepeverall]

Thanks for the heads-up.

Whilst on the subject of eyepiece literature I'd recommend 'The Backyard Astronomers Guide' which has a comprehensive chapter on eyepieces and covers so many other things all for about 15 quid online - hardback too.

[Stu_2011]

As much as I love astronomy, I still appreciate books even more. Many of which are highly specialized academic books...only limited number of them cost me more than £40 and they were at least twice the size with hardcover.

Having mentioned that, check Star Ware...similar type of book with more pages.

Lucky you, I (well my work) just spent £5k on a set of specialised reference books. The guy that authorised the order kept asking me "do these books really cost £5k???" He just couldn't understand why?

Anyway back to the topic, looks like a good book for a birthday / Christmas pressie list in my view. It's on my list

Thanks

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Moonshane]

The implication of a book called 'Choosing and Using Astronomical Eyepieces' is that it has been written for people who aren't yet sufficiently knowledgeable to chose their own. People like me in fact. I'd be really interested in buying it if it wasn't for the fact that for the same money I could buy what sounds to me to be a reasonable eyepiece. I'd happily spend 20 quid on the book but 40 quid would buy me a 32mm Plossl.

but is a 32mm Plossl the right eyepiece for you? maybe you need the book

it sounds an interesting read from someone who knows the subject as well as most of not all.

£40 is relatively cheap for a book which is for such a relatively small market. when I was seriously into moth recording I had many volumes over £50 and quite a few over £100. like many things of quality if you change your hobby you can sell them to fund the next hobby which is what I did.