Man Discovers the Galaxies

This is a history of how astronomers figured out that we live inside a galaxy and that the fuzzy objects seen in the sky are also galaxies as large or larger than our own. It is based on archival sources and covers the period from around 1900 to 1945. For a scholarly work with footnotes it a surprisingly lively read. It is well illustrated with photographs of the astronomers, graphs and figures from original papers, and has biographical sidebars and calculations that don't detract from the flow of the narrative. The view of our galaxy was mainly developed by 8 to 10 leading astronomers and it was an interplay of observations, bold hypotheses, and bitter rivalries that changed the way we saw ourselves in the universe. The authors capture the way science was done and the personalities of the players well. Bart Bok, who knew most of the astronomers in the 1920's and 30's, wrote in the preface that he " .. selected the juiciest and most controversial paragraphs (and references) for my initial reading. And then I leaned back in my easy chair, settled in with a glass of beer, and read at the rate of 25 pages per night." It is that kind of book -- easy to read, fascinating, and rich with unexpected details. It is a perfect antidote to the bland stories told in too many textbooks