Everybody's Comet: A Layman's Guide to Comet Hale-Bopp
by Alan Hale
High-Lonesome Books, 1996
softcover, 162 pp., illus.
ISBN 0-944383-38-6
US$12.95

The Comet Hale-Bopp Book
by Thomas Hockey
ATL Press Scientific Publishers, 1996
softcover, 175 pp., illus.
ISBN 1-882360-15-X
US$19.95

An Observer's Guide to Comet Hale-Bopp
by Don Machholz
MakeWood Products, 1996
softcover, 82 pp., illus.
ISBN 0-9646487-2-5
US$12.00

Comet of the Century: From Halley to Hale-Bopp
by Fred Schaaf
Copernicus/Springer-Verlag, 1997
hardcover, 384 pp., illus.
ISBN 0-387-94793-0
US$29.00

It's no surprise a number of books have been published about Hale-Bopp. The comet was discovered in the summer of 1995, giving writers and publishers plenty of lead time to publish several books on the comet. The belief that the comet would be a great, bright comet, held by some since its discovery beyond the orbit of Jupiter, no doubt fueled more interest in the comet and books on the comet. The four books reviewed here run the gamut from introductory pieces for those who know nothing about comets to observing guides to a study on comets in general.
     Two books, The Comet Hale-Bopp Book by Thomas Hockey, an astronomy professor at the University of Northern Iowa, and Everybody's Comet by comet co-discoverer Alan Hale, are oriented as general guides to the comet for those who know little, if anything, about comets. Although the books are about the same size, they cover their subject matter somewhat differently. Despite the title The Comet Hale-Bopp Book, Hockey's text doesn't go into detail about the comet until halfway through the book, after providing an introduction to comets and the history of observations of them. Once he gets to the comet, he talks about its discovery, predictions for its brightness, and how to observe the comet.
     Hale's book spends more time on the comet he co-discovered. After a general introduction to comets, hale retells the story if his discovery as well as how Thomas Bopp found the comet. (Bopp did not write a book about the comet, but did contribute prefaces to both Hale's and Hockey's books.) Hale goes into greater details about the prospects for observing the comet, and provides a personal view about the comet and his opinions about the state (the sad state, in his opinion) of science education and employment prospects for astronomers in the U. S.
     Those who already know about comets but who are looking for observing guides to the comet will want to turn to Don Machholz's An Observer's Guide to Comet Hale-Bopp. Machholz, a noted comet observer, provides sky charts and information on hot to observe the comet, including tips for using binoculars and telescopes to see the comet in greater detail. While the sky charts might seem like overkill now, as the comet is easily seen even in light-polluted skies, the charts continue into 1998, when the comet will have dimmed but will still be of interest to amateur astronomers.
     Of the four books reviewed here, the book that will still be useful long after Hale-Bopp has dimmed from view is Fred Schaaf's Comet of the Century. Schaaf provides a history of "great" comets, comets which became bright enough and/or were visible long enough to make a considerable impression on astronomers and the general public alike. These comets have appeared at irregular times in historical records for over 2,000 years, with some of the greatest visible in the daytime or possessing tails that stretched across a large part of the sky.
     Schaaf's book also provides a history of not only Hale-Bopp, but last year's Hyakutake, which also qualifies as a "great comet" as it dazzled observers in the northern hemisphere in late March. The book includes a narrative calendar for Hale-Bopp to guide observers in their observations of the latest comet that is likely to be considered "great."
     This leaves open the question: is Hale-Bopp the "Comet of the Century?" Schaaf argues that it's difficult to single out a single comet because of the many complex factors that determine how spectacular a comet appears. However, he argues that if the comet does reach the "mind-boggling" magnitudes of -1 to -2 (the comet is near -1 now), we would be hard-pressed not to consider it, under the relative arbitrary rules of the game, as our "comet of the century."

Asteroid: Earth Destroyer or New Frontier?
by Patricia Barnes-Svarney
Plenum, 1996
hardcover, 292 pp., illus.
ISBN 0-306-45408-4
US$25.95

Plenty has been written in the last couple years about the dangers of comet and asteroid impacts on the Earth. Most of the books have assumed that the reader had some knowledge of astronomy and the solar system, but one book on the market, Asteroid: Earth Destroyer or New Frontier, takes a stab at explaining the threat of asteroid impacts, and the possible benefits asteroids hold, for those with little knowledge of the solar system.
     Barnes-Svarney starts with the basics about the solar system and moves from there to discuss the asteroids and how they could impact the Earth. She also discusses the effects of an impact and what past impacts have done to the Earth, from the giant Chicxulub event which may have killed off the dinosaurs 65 million years ago to Tunguska. She also mentions the prospects of detecting possible future impacts and preventing them.
     Despite the equal billing in the title, the possible benefits of asteroids, namely mining asteroids for their mineral resources, is discussed only briefly in a short chapter near the end of the book. People who want more information about the benefits of asteroids and comets should turn to John Lewis's recent book Mining the Sky. Those who already have some knowledge of the solar system will probably be frustrated with the slow pace of the book, which includes some detours into non-sequitur topics (do we really need to know about the struggle to determine the Hubble Constant in a book about asteroids?) and the occasional editing error (Clyde Tombaugh did not use a 33-millimeter telescope to discover Pluto; such a telescope would be just over an inch in diameter!). For the layperson who is interested in the subject but has little background knowledge, Asteroid: Earth Destroyer or New Frontier would be a good introductory choice.

Venus Revealed: A New Look below the Clouds of Our Mysterious Twin Planet
by David Harry Grinspoon
Helix Books/Addison-Wesley, 1997
hardcover, 355pp., illus.
ISBN 0-201-40655-1
US$27.50/C$38.00

Venus has always been the subject of considerable attention by humans. From the earliest days when it was just a bright star that became intertwined in the mythologies of peoples around the globe to the current day, when we understand Venus to be a planet similar in size to our Earth but having followed a far different history, humans have always held Venus in certain high regard. Astronomer David Harry Grinspoon gives us a detailed look at our "long-lost sister" world in Venus Revealed.
     Grinspoon starts with the mythological history of Venus, which was associated with feminine beauty by a number of different cultures. In the age of telescopes, Venus took on the characteristics of a planet, including a cloudy atmosphere which accounted for its brilliance. However, only in the era of spacecraft exploration, including a series of Soviet landers and the Magellan radar mapper, have we begun to understand what lies below those clouds; only now are we "revealing Venus" as world similar to Earth in some ways, but vastly different in others, both in its thick, hot atmosphere and on its newly-revealed surface.
     Grinspoon writes a lively, hip book with references to popular culture throughout. He departs from the "so-and-so said this, and so-and-so said that" style of many science books, and focuses instead on the concepts and discoveries that have shaped our view of the planet. He is not afraid to look at controversial topics, including the possibility of life that once existed, or may yet exist, on Venus, although he carefully marks what is known and what is merely speculation. Anyone interested in Venus, from the general public to scientists, will find Venus Revealed to be an informative, enjoyable read.