Saturday, September 13, 2014

Dear Skywatchers readers


Dear readers of Skywatchers

I want to thank you for visiting my blog, and especially the considerable number of you who return more than once.  I am also gratified that many new readers find this site.  Both groups add about 100 visits a month to the tally of people who have looked in on these biographies since I first posted one in 2012.

Even though no new biographies have been posted in months, I have not abandoned writing about astronomical personalities.  I’ve been ‘on hiatus’ from this blog while writing a book-length biography of Charles Pollard Olivier, founder of the American Meteor Society; the book will include a history of his organization to 1936, its 25th anniversary.  It will include almost 100 biographies of amateur meteor astronomers who assisted him from 1911-1936. The book does not yet have a title that satisfies me, but in this short description of it you have some idea of its contents.  Closer to the time the book is complete I will post an excerpt from it here.

It has been interesting to note which of the biographies here have been most popular with readers from around the world.  By far, Rose O’Halloran’s is a run-away favorite.  ‘Lewis Swift and Son’ and ‘Rev. Glanville’ are tied for second place.  Of course, all the biographies are my favorites and it has been my privilege to bring these deserving people to the attention of a world-wide audience.

Thanks again for reading ‘Skywatchers.’  Best wishes,

Richard Taibi