to you. Treasure
that little note book as long as you live. Every year it will get more
precious to you.

Now for the books:

1. _Martin._ _The Friendly Stars._ Harper & Brothers, New York, 1907.

This book teaches you first the twenty brightest stars and then the
constellations. I cannot say that this, or any other, is the "best
book," but it has helped me most, and I suppose it is only natural that
we should love best the first book that introduces us to a delightful
subject.

2. _Serviss._ _Astronomy with the Naked Eye._ Harper & Brothers, New
York, 1908.

This teaches you the constellations first and the brightest stars
incidentally. Also it gives the old myths.

3. _Serviss._ _Astronomy with an Opera-Glass._ D. Appleton & Co., New
York, 1906.

4. _Serviss._ _Pleasures of the Telescope._ D. Appleton & Co., New York,
1905.

5. _Milham._ _How to Identify the Stars._ The Macmillan Co., New York,
1909.

This gives a list of eighty-eight constellations, including thirty-six
southern ones, and has tracings of twenty-eight.

6. _Elson._ _Star Gazer's Handbook._ Sturgis & Walton Co., New York,
1909.

About the briefest and cheapest. Has good charts and makes a specialty
of the myths.

7. _Serviss._ _Curiosities of the Sky._ Harper & Brothers, New York.

Tells about comets, asteroids, shooting stars, life on Mars, nebulae,
temporary stars, coal-sacks, Milky Way, and other wonders.

8. _Ball._ _Starland._ Ginn & Co., Boston, New York, etc., 1899.

This tells about a great many interesting experiments in astronomy that
children can make.

* * * * *

If I had only a dollar or less to spend on astronomy I should buy a
planisphere. I got mine from Thomas Whittaker, No. 2 Bible House, New
York. It cost seventy-five cents, and will tell you where to find any
star at any time in the year. It does not show the planets, however. A
planisphere that will show the planets costs about five dollars.
However, there are only two very showy planets, viz., Venus and Jupiter.
Any almanac will tell you (for nothing) when each of these is morning
star, and when each of them is evening star.

The best newspaper about stars, as far as I know, is a magazine called
_The Monthly Evening Sky Map_, published by Leon Barritt, 150 Nassau
St., New York. It costs a dollar a year. It gives a chart every month,
showing all the planets, and all the constellations. Also it tells you
about the interesting