Observing the Messier Objects with a Small Telescope: In the Footsteps of a Great Observer Paperback – 1 November 2011

The author has done an excellent job, in my opinion, of relating the objects we see in the Messier list with the life and times of the man who put the list together. It helped me to understand why some things are in the list, while other objects may not be. I found it a pleasant read. It is definitely a keeper in my library and I have recommended it to others.There is ample description and charts to show where the objects are located, along with information on what the objects should look like in different small telescopes and binoculars.

As a beginner I acquired this book hoping for a portable reference to use at the eyepiece. While the descriptions as to what you're looking at and how to find the objects are good the images, to be perfectly blunt, suck. Take Fig, 4.11, How to find M27, as an example. There are two dim, white spots, one of which is labelled Altair, a label that says Sagita and one that says M27, but there is nothing but black around and near these labels. Most of the how to find images of this quality. Then there's Fig.'s 4.19, 5.59, 6.10, 6.13, and 6.17, which appear to illustrate a lit candle stick off to the left of center of the image. Other than the "candle stick" there isn't much visible in these images. For this kind of money, I recommend spending a few bucks more and getting Penington's "The Year Round Messier Marathon Field Guide". Although it is a bit unweildy in the field, it is eminently better suited to help you find the Messier objects than Pugh's "Observing the Messier Objects...".