Moore and Watson's definition of a "budget" telescope is one available from a department store or mail-order catalog, produced by a manufacturer less well known than Celestron, Meade, or Orion, and priced under $400 (£300). The typical budget scope is a 2-inch to 3-inch refractor or a 4-inch to 5-inch reflector and includes one or two eyepieces, a small finder scope, and a tripod-based mount.

     Hobbyists know quality optics can be found in this price range, but the category is rife with "trash" scopes. Ridiculous claims of high magnification and Hubble-quality views disappoint rather than inspire users. Even practical instruments often present a challenge for novices because small apertures collect only so much light.  Easily read text on buying, assembling, and using small scopes address these issues with the aid of charts, tables, and full-color photographs. Clear primers teach readers about celestial targets, how to navigate the night sky, spectral classes and separation.

     Unfortunately, the book stops short of its potential. To ignore the major brands is to deny the reader great mail-order values.  Affordable Mak-Cass, short-tube, and Dob-mounted units are hardly mentioned and even simple light-path illustrations of different scope designs are missing.  Basic component descriptions are too general to be of real use, the reader is never told how to choose a good eyepiece or finderscope, and after references to budget-scope limitations early in the book, John Watson's concise introduction to astro-imaging seems irrelevant. 

     However, when the authors move from equipment to observing, the writing relaxes, and the narrative is a joy to read. Yet this area, too, could benefit from tighter editing. Each star map features just a single object and its related text often lies pages away. Typos distract readers throughout the book but only one actually gives misinformation and by page 52 even the most optimistic amateur will know that a 2-inch tube doesn't have 250mm of aperture.

     The last few pages, which are devoted to an overview of more advanced scopes, segue nicely to further reading. Generous in recommending other books and some software, the writers likewise might have pointed readers to useful websites. Like the budget telescopes it describes, the text may get you into astronomy but it leaves the distinct impression that other, more efficiently designed resources may do a better job.