Explores the emerging moral middle ground of Americans who share the concerns of religious conservatives about a crisis of values, but who are put off by the intolerance and prejudice of both left- and right-wing activists. Looks at the potential for the practice of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam in America to widen the context for debate on values. For general readers. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Hallowed Ground

History

Sheehan, William

World

Basic Books

Written by William Sheehan, a noted historian of astronomy, and Christopher J. Conselice, a professional astronomer specializing in galaxies in the early universe, this book tells the story of how astronomers have pieced together what is known about the vast and complicated systems of stars and dust known as galaxies. 
The first galaxies appeared as violently disturbed exotic objects when the Universe was only a few 100 million years old. From that tortured beginning, they have evolved though processes of accretion, merging and star formation into the majestic spirals and massive ellipticals that dominate our local part of the Universe. This of course includes the Milky Way, to which the Sun and Solar System belong; it is our galactic home, and the only galaxy we will ever know from the inside. Sheehan and Conselice show how astronomers’ understanding has grown from the early catalogs of Charles Messier and William Herschel; developed through the pioneering efforts of astronomers like E.E. Barnard, V.M. Slipher, Henrietta Leavitt, Edwin Hubble and W.W. Morgan; and finally is reaching fruition in cutting-edge research with state-of-the-art instruments such as the Hubble Space Telescope that can see back to nearly the beginning of the Universe. By combining archival research that reveals fascinating details about the personalities, rivalries and insights of the astronomers who created extragalactic astronomy with the latest data gleaned from a host of observations, the authors provide a view of galaxies – and their place in our understanding of the Universe – as they have never been seen before.

Galactic Encounters: Our Majestic and Evolving Star-System, From the Big Bang to Time's End

Science & Math

Conselice, Christopher J.

Astronomy & Space Science

Springer

This first full-length biography of Edward Emerson Barnard tells the remarkable tale of endurance and achievement of one of the leading astronomers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. As "a man who was never known to sleep", Barnard scoured the heavens endlessly, leaving an astonishing legacy of observations that make him one of the greatest observers of all time. This book traces Barnard's life from impoverished origins to status as an internationally recognized astronomer. His success as a professional astronomer unfolds in 1842 as he discovers the fifth satellite of Jupiter (the first since Galileo) and pioneers wide-angle photography of the Milky Way, which leads to the recognition of dark nebulae--clouds of dust on the galactic plane. Beautifully illustrated throughout, this book provides a complete history of Barnard's fascinating life and work, based largely on previously unpublished archival material, that will be of interest to astronomers and historians of science.

The Immortal Fire Within: The Life and Work of Edward Emerson Barnard

Biographies & Memoirs

Professionals & Academics

Cambridge University Press

This first full-length biography of Edward Emerson Barnard tells the remarkable tale of endurance and achievement of one of the leading astronomers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. As "a man who was never known to sleep", Barnard scoured the heavens endlessly, leaving an astonishing legacy of observations that make him one of the greatest observers of all time. This book traces Barnard's life from impoverished origins to status as an internationally recognized astronomer. His success as a professional astronomer unfolds in 1842 as he discovers the fifth satellite of Jupiter (the first since Galileo) and pioneers wide-angle photography of the Milky Way, which leads to the recognition of dark nebulae--clouds of dust on the galactic plane. Beautifully illustrated throughout, this book provides a complete history of Barnard's fascinating life and work, based largely on previously unpublished archival material, that will be of interest to astronomers and historians of science.

Concentrates on the personal stories of Irish soldiers who fought in WWI, placing them within the wider context of various Irish regiments of the British Army. The very human story of a war that cost the lives of 35,000 Irishmen. With b&w plates.

The Western Front: Irish Voices from the Great War

Military

GILL MACMILLAN

The intriguing narrative of one of astronomy's strangest searches for a planet that never existed.

In Search Of Planet Vulcan: The Ghost In Newton's Clockwork Universe

Baum, Richard

FOLLOWING years of discontent over Home Rule and the Easter Rising, the deaths of two Royal Irish Constabulary policemen in Soloheadbeg at the hands of the IRA in 1919 signalled the outbreak of war in Ireland. The Irish War of Independence raged until a truce between the British Army and the IRA in 1921, historical consensus being that the conflict ended in military stalemate.In A Hard Local War, William Sheeham sets out to prove that no such stalemate existed, and that both sides were continually innovative and adaptive. Using new research and previously unpublished archive material, he traces the experience of the British rank and file, their opinion of their opponents, the special forces created to fight in the Irish countryside, RAF involvement and the evolution of IRA reliance on IEDs and terrorism.

A Hard Local War: The British Army and the Guerrilla War in Cork 1919-1921

Europe

The History Press

Following years of discontent over Home Rule and the Easter Rising, the deaths of two Royal Irish Constabulary policemen in Soloheadbeg at the hands of the IRA in 1919 signaled the outbreak of war in Ireland. The Irish War of Independence raged until a truce between the British Army and the IRA in 1921, historical consensus being that the conflict ended in military stalemate.  In A Hard Local War, William Sheeham sets out to prove that no such stalemate existed, and that both sides were continually innovative and adaptive. Using new research and previously unpublished archive material, he traces the experience of the British rank and file, their opinion of their opponents, the special forces created to fight in the Irish countryside, RAF involvement, and the evolution of IRA reliance on IEDs and terrorism.

A Hard Local War: The British Army and the Guerrilla War in Cork 1919 - 22

Do we really know what we see through a telescope? How does the ocular system construct planetary images, and how does the brain interpret them? Drawing on both astronomical and psychological data, William Sheehan now offers the first systematic analysis of the perceptual and cognitive factors that go into the initial structuring of a planetary image and its subsequent elaboration. Sheehan details the development of lunar and planetary astronomy beginning with Galileo's study of the moon, and focuses particularly on the discover of "canals" on Mars. Through each episode he underscores a perceptual or psychological theme, such as the importance of differences in vision, tachistoscopic perceptual effects, the influence of expectation and suggestion on what one sees, and the social psychology of scientific discovery. Planets and Perception is a provocative book that will intrigue anyone who has ever looked through a telescope. In addition, it offers the psychologically-oriented reader a case history in the processes of perception unlike any other in the literature.

Planets and Perception: Telescopic Views and Interpretations, 1609-1909

University of Arizona Press

Ever since early star-gazers discovered that some heavenly bodies wandered among the others, people have been fascinated by the planets. Kepler calculated their orbits from naked-eye observations; Galileo's telescope made it possible to discern their markings; now observations from spacecraft provide electronically enhanced images that bring these distant worlds even closer.In Worlds in the Sky, William Sheehan gives us a history of this long fascination, weaving together scientific history, anecdotes surrounding planetary discoveries, and the personal reflections of an incurable amateur astronomer. He describes how we arrived at our current understanding of the Moon and the planets and shows how certain individuals in history shaped the world's knowledge about the Solar System.Placing historical observations in the context of recent discoveries, Sheehan questions whether these telescopic glimpses were revelations or mere deceptions. By reflecting on the mental processes of early astronomers, he provides not only a fascinating account of scientific discovery but also a tribute to those who, long before Voyager, relied on their own powers of observation to travel to worlds in the sky.

Worlds in the Sky: Planetary Discovery From the Earliest Times through Voyager & Magellan

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Sheehan, William. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Sheehan, William

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Sheehan, William. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Hallowed Ground

Galactic Encounters: Our Majestic and Evolving Star-System, From the Big Bang to Time's End

The Immortal Fire Within: The Life and Work of Edward Emerson Barnard

The Immortal Fire Within: The Life and Work of Edward Emerson Barnard

The Western Front: Irish Voices from the Great War

In Search Of Planet Vulcan: The Ghost In Newton's Clockwork Universe

A Hard Local War: The British Army and the Guerrilla War in Cork 1919-1921

A Hard Local War: The British Army and the Guerrilla War in Cork 1919 - 22

Planets and Perception: Telescopic Views and Interpretations, 1609-1909

Worlds in the Sky: Planetary Discovery From the Earliest Times through Voyager & Magellan