The History of the Telescope (Dover Books on Astronomy)

Originally printed in 1979 in England by Griffin & Co., this was reported by the author to be the first comprehensive, book-length history of the telescope. He begins with an ancient Egyptian astronomical instrument the merkhet and proceeds to describe innovations, instruments, and instrument makers throughout the world and up through the making of the 200 inch Hale telescope at Mount Wilson which was dedicated in 1948. King includes a few radio telescopes as well as numerous b&w photos and diagrams. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)