The Cambridge Concise History of Astronomy

Rating:
Summary: A status-quo history
Review: Although this appears to be in a coffee-table format, this book covers both history and technical aspects of the subject without oversimplification. Side issues are explained in detail. Illustrations are well-presented, clear and in color when appropriate; very useful in this largely visual subject. The very best history of astronomy I have found.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent scientific history
Review: Although this appears to be in a coffee-table format, this book covers both history and technical aspects of the subject without oversimplification. Side issues are explained in detail. Illustrations are well-presented, clear and in color when appropriate; very useful in this largely visual subject. The very best history of astronomy I have found.

Rating:
Summary: A status-quo history
Review: I was disappointed greatly with the contents of the book. Hoskin and Gingerich peddle the old Eurocentric view of astronomy. Short shrift is given to the views of scholars such as R.R. Newton and Dennis Rawlins. The presentation of material is very shallow, and the tangled web behind the advances of Kepler and others is not presented. It is like whitewash.