Review of "Mars Observer's Guide"

Mars Observer's Guide by Neil Bone **** 6/24/13

Even ten years after publication this book is of great use to the lay person interested in Mars or Martian fiction. It was written to be used by amateur astronomers during the close-ups of Mars in 2003-2007 and includes various charts for those years, so that information is of little interest now. But the larger part of the book is historical and geographical in nature and unlikely to be outdated for quite some time.

Sections include a history of Mars observation, both before and since the development of the telescope; basic aerology (geography of Mars) and physics of Martian planetary motion; a guide to observation and equipment; and overviews of Martian exploration and the question of Martian life.

I've read quite a few novels set on Mars, and this book would have been very helpful before and will certainly be in the future.

This sounds very similar to a book I was looking at getting for the very same reason as yourself. 'A Traveller's Guide to Mars: The Mysterious Landscapes of the Red Planet' by William K. Hartmann.
Now, I am not sure which one to go for. ;)
I think I may need to compare physical copies.
Thanks for the info.

>2 Sylak: Now you've made me want to see the Hartmann book too.