Burnham Remembered

Some amateur astronomers are working to create a memorial to the great Robert Burnham, Jr., author of the famed Burnham's Celestial Handbook. His tragic story was told by Tony Ortega in an article for the Phoenix New Times in 1997. I wish them luck in their endeavour.

My father had purchased the original 3-volume Dover hardcover set many years ago; they remain a valuable part of my library. Burnham's Celestial Handbook was instrumental in fueling my interest in astronomy at an early age - I read those books years before I ever looked through a telescope - and I am not surprised that so many people share my admiration of these books and the author.