Shrouds of the Night: Masks of the Milky Way and Our Awesome New View of Galaxies - Hardcover

David Block is Director of the Anglo American Cosmic Dust Laboratory and Professor of Computational and Applied Mathematics at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. He has been a visiting astronomer at the European Southern Observatory, the Institute of Astronomy (Hawaii) and the Center for Astrophysics at Harvard University. His research has twice been featured on the cover of the journal "Nature" and he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society of London at age 19.

Ken Freeman FRS is Duffield Professor of Astronomy at the Australian National University. He was a fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, Oort Professor at Leiden University, Blaauw Professorat the University of Groningen and Tinsley Professor at the University of Texas. He is one of the first astronomers to show that spiral galaxies are immersed in a vast halo of dark matter, and is one of Australia’s most highly cited scientists.

From the reviews:

"The authors research dark subjects ... and in this book, they present images and data to help readers understand what’s going on within galaxies. ... Shrouds of the Night takes you on a whirlwind tour of astronomy photograph history right up to present-day digital imaging. ... Present-day astronomical and cultural images make Shrouds of the Night a fascinating read." (Michael Bakich, Astronomy, March, 2009)

"This is a beautiful large format book ... written by two astronomers who have each spent a life time studying ‘dark matter’. ... This is a ‘must-have’ book for those interested in the history of astronomy, and an ideal gift for any young aspiring astronomer." (Colin Montgomery, Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, Vol.12 (1), 2009)

"Block ... and Freeman (Australian National Univ.) have produced a coffee-table-style book with glorious photographs. Many photos are in color and for the most part cover the Milky Way and other galaxies. ... This is a work for those with an eye for details in celestial views. It is ... appreciating the gain in imaging today over early photography and drawings of the same objects. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels of undergraduate students, practitioners, and general readers." (A. R. Upgren, Choice, Vol. 46 (10), June, 2009)

"This book, subtitled Masks of the Milky Way and Our Awesome New View of Galaxies, is essentially a chronology of astronomical photography from 1826 to the present day. ... The strength of the book is in the consistency of recalling famous astronomers and their observations, which in turn showcases compelling visual evidence. ... this book is excellent ... ." (Ian McClurg-Welland, Astronomy Now, September, 2009)

“Shrouds of the night is a very entertaining and appealing coffee-table book about the astronomical quest to penetrate the obscuring veils of cosmic dust in an effort to unmask the true structure of galaxies. The book is aimed at a non-specialist audience ... . Readers ... will find a bounty of interesting material here. ... Overall the book is a terrific read. The collection of historically interesting and important photographs, drawings and illustrations is well worth the price of the volume ... .” (Charles J. Lada, Journal for the History of Astronomy, May, 2010)

“First-time visitors to any science-based book about space should be able to pick it up and immediately find themselves introduced to ...  the sky and beyond. That is what ... Australia’s most eminent astronomers has been able to achieve with his new book ... . use simple, well written and jargon-free language throughout ... . If you have ever lost yourself in a cathedral of stars or been lucky enough to view any of the planets ... through a telescope you will enjoy this book.” (Lloyd Gorman, Post, August, 2010)