The sun : an introduction /

Stix's book is devoted to the task of exhibiting the variety of experimental techniques and theoretical ideas employed in creating a coherent picture of the sun. Of course, comprehension of the sun is of enormous help in laying the foundation for understanding the structure and behavior of other stars. The mathematical level should make his book accessible to most junior and senior majors in physics and astronomy. It is encyclopedic in its coverage; many sections are rather short and would require some additional material to be really comprehensible. Stix is very good in giving a real sense of the nature of the research enterprise and the book has very little of the prepackaged textbook flavor. The end references are both extensive and up-to-date. Belongs in all good college and university libraries supporting upper-level undergraduate courses in astrophysics designed to illustrate, for majors in physics and astronomy, the diversity of fields in physics needed to understand many fundamental phenomena. -K. L. Schick, Union College (NY)