Universe: A Computer-Generated Voyage Through Time and Space

Beware the cosmology that begins with a chapter titled ``Long Ago and Far Away.'' Henbest offers unexceptional factoids about planet and star formations, and while he expands upon the Big Bang theory at the expense of less graphic cosmologies, he describes even this at planetarium field-trip lecture level. But with few exceptions, the ``computer-generated'' images from his prose voyage have the abstract neatness associated with common airbrush techniques. Only the large format lends visual impact to the brief text. The volume seems best suited to the shelves of a high-school library. Wiser, more experienced amateur astronomers can continue to rely on images generated by their own imaginations. Astronomy Book Club main selection. (May)