South African amateur astronomer Neville Young recently mailed me to let me know about his new book, Astronomy within Reach.  Neville has been a member of the Pretoria centre of the Astronomical Society of South Africa for over 25 years, and has always loved sharing his knowledge of the stars with the general public at open viewing evenings.  Over the years he’s developed a number of teaching aids to help with his explanations – everything from constellation jigsaw puzzles to simple models of the Solar System, and even a kit to build a galilean telescope.  He sells these items on his Starwaders website, but his book adds a new dimension to his outreach efforts.  At 208 pages and with over 200 photographs and illustrations, it should serve as a complete introduction for the novice amateur.  Hopefully I’ll secure my own copy soon, and write a proper review! 

The book has also been translated into afrikaans and is available at most local bookshops.  Alternatively, you can order it online from kalahari.net, or direct from Neville himself at http://www.astronomy-within-reach.co.za/