Every once in a while a book comes along that will change the face of the subject matter. This is that book for AmateurTelescope Makers (ATMs).

Most ATMs will agree that Texereau has been the regarded as The Bible of telescope making, this new book is like the New Testement. In very fine detail Kreige, of Obsession Telescope fame, has described how you can build a state of the art Dobsonian telescope using readily available materials and supplies. Every step of construction is detailed in photographs and diagrams, and the underlying ideas are carefully explained. As a result of this three year collaboration between authorsDavid Kreige and Richard Berry, experienced and well known telescope makers, you now have the opportunity to build a high performance telescope from 14" to 40" aperture based on the thoroughly tested designs described in this book.

The Dobsonian telescope takes its name from the astronomer / philosophore John Dobson, who introduced the concept of inexpensive, large aperture telescopes to astronomy. Amateur astronomers at the time were so amazed that a telescope built from simple, inexpensive materials peformed so well that they could hardly believe their eyes. As home built Dobsonians started showing up at Star Parties across the nation and people saw what Dobsonians could do, the word spread. In just a few years , the Dobsonian revolution swept across the world.

Since those early telescopes, Dobsonians have improved dramatically. An entire generation of amateur telescope makers contributed their best insights and refinements to Dobson's original design. Today's Dobsonians are larger, lighter and more precise than ever before. For example, it is possible to build a telescope of 20 inches aperture that is compact enough to transport in a hatchback automobile, yet takes only ten minutes to set up at a remote, dark sky observing site.

Some of the topics covered in the book include;

Deciding what size telescope will suit your needs

Ordering optics for a large Dobsonian

Understanding plywood and how to use it properly

Making a flotation cell to support the primary mirror

Figuring how long to cut the poles for the truss tubes

Constructing precision truss tube sockets

Performing torque analysis for first time balance

Installing precision Digital Seting Circles

Setting up and taking down the telescope

Whether you have never observed before or whether you have been an amateur astronomer all your life, you will benefit from hands on familiarity and experience in amateur astronomy and telescope making that the authors bring to this book.

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