Fred Watson said that writing this book almost drove him mad. Little wonder: it is an exhaustive work, 400 years of facts and anecdote that enlighten the story of this important scientific instrument. Watson puts each development in its cultural context, along with its more famous champions. There are some memorable tales, like the one about the Great Melbourne Telescope. Its huge metal mirrors were shipped all the way from the Rathmines optical works in Dublin, but once in place they were found to distort the appearance of the stars.
Stargazer: The life and times of the telescope
