I received this as a gift for my 20th birthday from my father after deciding to change my major from computer science to astrophysics. My math skills were turning out to be stronger then my high school years left me thinking they were, so the door to my first choice was back open. It was a hard choice in some ways because CS majors were making good money back in the mid 80's and astronomers didn't have too many openings.

When I opened the gift I actually teared up, this is a powerful tool for the serious student and it showed my fathers approval of the change in major. My mother was worried by my reaction, afraid that I didn't understand what the gift meant to Dad. I did. Along with him handing my my diploma for my B.S. and the toast he gave at my wedding, that was one of my favorite moments with him.

I've long since given up on the long haul that would have led me to an astrophysics Ph.D., oddly enough ending up back in computers. I still sometimes take this book off the shelf and remember those happy times deep in the study of the nature of the universe.

Sorry, this was more about me then the book. Now for a few words about the book. If you need a physical copy of this type of material, there is absolutely no substitute for this book. Get the newest edition available to you, you'll keep annotate it and keep it for many years to come. ( )

http://www.hbcpnetbase.com/ ( )

This thick leatherbound book was my grandfather's, and he gave it to me as a lad. It may have been partly-responsible for my subsequent obsession with books. I was in love with the idea that everything I might need to know about the physical universe could be neatly summarized with 1300+ pages of onionskin. If only that were so!