Gordon, The following appeared in the December 1995 issue of the Compendium - journal of the North American Sundial Society. The relevant chapter from the book was also reprinted in that issue of the Compendium:
Kalmbach Publishing Company (P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha WI 53187) has recently released the Beginner's Guide To The Sun by Peter O. Taylor and Nancy L. Hendrickson. Taylor is a solar astronomer and author; Hendrickson is an amateur astronomer, freelance writer and publisher of Clear Skies - a newsletter for amateur astronomers. The 160 page book, which retails for $19.95, has 96 photos and more than a dozen illustrations. The authors' intent in writing the book was to present the intelligent adult layperson with an overview of a wide range of research on the sun and solar phenomena. In their preface, they note that "solar observations by serious amateur astronomers can still be useful to the professional solar community. Not many other areas of scientific endeavor are so open to the conscientious nonprofessional. This is one arena where you can make a meaningful scientific contribution by careful daily observations, using only a modest telescope equipped with a minimum of accessories." Topics covered range from the beliefs of such early peoples as the Zuni, the Egyptians, and the Chinese, to a brief history of solar research, and then on to discussions of space age astronomy, the sun as a star, solar eclipses and methods for observing the sun. Several of the ten chapters are followed by a description of a science project well within the reach of the intended reader. Of most interest to NASS readers will be the project to design a reflected sundial to bounce an image of the sun onto your ceiling and to use it to read the time. Fred Sawyer and Bob Terwilliger provided this project for the book via an on-line contact from Nancy Hendrickson. It is interesting to note that virtually all of this book was compiled via electronic mail - the authors themselves have never met face-to-face. This situation is reminiscent of the first year of NASS's existence, during which the society grew through on-line contact by enthusiastic dialists who had never met each other in person. Fred Sawyer North American Sundial Society
