Venerable British astronomer Baum walks readers through the back country of astronomical history, with long telescopes, paper star charts, and self-funded fanatics. Among his topics are whether the Moon has its own satellite, mountains on Venus, and bright objects near the Sun. He assumes readers are not astronomers, or even scientists. Seven of the 11 essays were published under a different title in 1973, but have been rewritten and expanded. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)