Starlight Detectives

I got this book through first reads, and found it quite informative. For someone with only the most minor of astronomy backgrounds like myself, the text gets a bit dry at times, and it isn't really a heart-pounding adventure, but it did teach me a number of things I didn't know about how we reached our current place in the stars. It starts of with a detailed description on the history of photography and how much that shaped how we view the stars. It shows me how much I take for granted looking at pictures of distant galaxies and not fully understanding how many lives have been devoted to acquiring those pictures. It also elevated Edwin Hubble to that mythic status with Teddy Roosevelt and Nicola Tesla.

The book is probably meant for someone with a much stronger interest and background in the field, so I found it a little slow-going, but if you have more than a passing interest in those who came before, it's a solid read.