The eminent American astronomer Harlow Shapley once described Charles Messier's Catalogue of 1784 as 'marking an epoch in the recording of observations.' The author of Messier's Nebulae and Star Clusters provides not only a thorough historical background to this famous catalogue but also supplies the amateur astronomer with every facility for locating and identifying each object in Messier's list. Many of these have turned out to be among the most important and fascinating systems in the universe. Nearly all the objects are easily visible in a 3-inch telescope and the observer will find that if he follows the author's scheme with its supporting maps and diagrams, he or she will be rewarded with some of the finest sights to be seen in the heavens and at the same time acquire a thorough training in the art of observation. The author's own observations and drawings, accompanied by modern astronomical information for each object and a short but concentrated review of current astronomical ideas provide an up-to-date treatment of this epochmarking catalogue.
