1001 Celestial Wonders: As Observed With Home-built Instruments, 1931. Hardcover.

By Charles Edward Barns

A rare find, this all-encompassing guide was, and is still, a treasure-trove of information and inspiration for stargazers. Barns was a prolific newspaperman, magazine journalist, novelist, and short-story writer. He set himself up as a theater impresario in Philadelphia, then later moved with his family to California, where he bought and ran a 20-acre apricot and prune orchard. There he established his own printing press and observatory.