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Patrick Moore: The Autobiography
The man behind the much-loved, larger-than-life personality; not only an astronomer but also a self-taught musician and talented composer, and passionate supporter of cricket.
Paperback
,
276 pages
Published
2005
by Sutton
(first published November 6th 2003)
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Sir Patrick's autobiography, first published in 2003, is a book I've been wanting to read for a while. Finally getting round to it, I'm somewhat disappointed. The great man of Astronomy hardly touches on his early years and is totally reticent with his war time exploits in the RAF. The book more or less begins at the age of 30. So what is contained here is the story of the Sky at Night broadcasts, Britain's, and the world's, longest running t.v. programme, padded out with the various thoughts of
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Some may complain about Moore's racist political views expressed here, or that he constantly teases about what he did during the war while refusing to reveal the details. Also you obviously only get his side of events, and some have claimed his professed modesty is not genuine. But I think the book succeeds in showing exactly what he considered important in his life. It's easy to forget he was the product of an earlier age. He doesn't talk about his emotions in the way a modern celebrity would b
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Not so much an autobiography as as series of reminiscences about his career: he famously covers the first 25 years of his life in three pages, and though he keeps mentioning the his RAF service and the fact his finacee was killed in the war, he doesn't tell us anything about it. This perhaps is not such a bad thing - after all it's his career that is of interest, and he is able to tell us something about all the major events in astronomy and space exploration in the second half of the C20th.
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Wher ...more
I live round the corner from farthings and met Patrick a couple of times. A shame this great man has gone to higher places.
A good lesson in how to write a biography, I think. The first chapter dealt with childhood, teenage years and the Second World War in a few pages. Then it moved on and started on the career the author is known for. No dwelling on what is essentially superfluous information, just enough of it there to give background.
As enjoyable and cheerfully provocative as any memoirs I have ever read. A fitting memorial to a remarkable and singular man.
A great book, written by a great character. Would have liked a little more about his early life and during the war though.
There is more than one author with this name
Sir Alfred Patrick Caldwell-Moore, CBE, Hon FRS, FRAS, known as Patrick Moore, is an English amateur astronomer, who is the most well known English promoter of astronomy. Moore wrote numerous books on the subject, as well as make public, television and radio appearances, over the course of his long life. He is credited as having done more than any other ...more
More about Patrick Moore...
Sir Alfred Patrick Caldwell-Moore, CBE, Hon FRS, FRAS, known as Patrick Moore, is an English amateur astronomer, who is the most well known English promoter of astronomy. Moore wrote numerous books on the subject, as well as make public, television and radio appearances, over the course of his long life. He is credited as having done more than any other ...more
