4 volume astronomy library - now just £23.49 inc UK mainland delivery.(normally £32.96)

Probably the best accessory you can get to help you enjoy telescopic astronomy is first-class information and guidance - and plenty of both. We've selected four of the best guide books available to help you get the most out of your telescope and precious observing time. Together this mini library offers over 600 expertly written pages, fully colour illustrated with photos, diagrams and maps. The library covers everything from setting up your telescope, selecting eyepieces, and basic astro-photography to detailed investigations of the Sun, Moon planets and stars as well as a volume dedicated to targets vastly beyond the solar system covering the deep-sky and includes a wide and beautifully illustrated range of bright easy to find nebulae and galaxies. All at a package price of just £23.49 inc UK mainland delivery - that's 25% off the published price!

This 4 volume library is a perfect book set for the novice telescope user. All written in a clear and lucid style they assume little on the part of the reader, providing guidance on setting up the telescope and using it for the first time to making detailed observations of some of the Universe's most remote and exotic objects.

Library contents:

1. Stargazing with a Telescope by Robin Scagell (175 pages).

This is the new edition of this Philip's bestseller, fully updated to include the latest accessories on the market. Philip's Stargazing with a Telescope reveals what to expect from a telescope and how to set the instrument up for your first night's observing. It gives straightforward explanations of how they work, and how to progress from first-time user to hobby observer. It gives practical help for setting up and using any telescope, and provides lists of objects to look at from British back gardens, from both town and country, including the Sun, Moon, planets, comets, asteroids, stars, clusters, variable stars, double stars, novae and supernovae, nebulae and galaxies. Aimed principally at newcomers to astronomy of all ages, who would like to begin observing for themselves, and perhaps make contact with other amateur observers. Philip's Stargazing with a Telescope has examples of objects to observe taken from both northern and southern hemispheres. It also gives informative advice about suitable accessories, such as eyepieces and filters, plus suggestions for photography through the telescope and choice of camera and film type. The guidance given is appropriate for all observing conditions. As well as being fully updated, this new edition has been expanded to include a glossary of technical terms and an index, making it even easier for the beginner to use and understand.

2. Moon Observer's Guide By Peter Grego (176 pages).

This practical guide for moonwatchers is suitable for the beginner and the more experienced observer. At the heart of the guide is a day-by-day lunar observing diary based on the progress of the terminator (the zone separating lunar day and night). Using sections of moon map for each day, the author explains what to look out for. The day's observing suggestions are divided into three sections, depending on whether you are observing with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope. A chapter is devoted to the various methods of recording the moon - from pencil sketches to digital CCD images. The author also explains the best way to observe and record eclipses.

3. Star Finder By John Woodruff and Wil Tirion. (64 pages)

A month-by-month calendar for stargazers in the northern hemisphere. Twelve aspects charts show the position of stars and other celestial objects in both northerly and southerly directions for each month of the year. An introduction explains the basic facts of astronomy.

4. Guide to Stars and Planets By Sir Patrick Moore (256 pages)

A fully updated edition of Sir Patrick Moore's best selling guide including the latest information from recent space probes.

Philip's Guide to Stars and Planets provides all the information you need to study the night sky with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope. It includes a detailed Moon map and a complete atlas of the constellations, and is suitable for observers in both the northern and southern hemispheres. A straightforward and comprehensive handbook, it opens with chapters on the Moon, the Sun, the planets, the stars and galaxies, as well as information on astrophotography, telescopes and an explanation of the apparent movement of the night sky. It also comprises a full set of constellation maps, showing all stars visible to the naked eye as well as the brighter nebulae and galaxies. Each map is accompanied by a description of that constellation, pointing the observer to the most interesting stars and deep-sky objects in that area of the sky. Tables give the co-ordinates, magnitudes and distances of the brightest stars in each constellation.

The book concludes with a comprehensive glossary, and timelines of astronomy and space exploration.

Fully illustrated.