"First Light, The Search for the Edge of the Universe" by Richard Preston

Originally published in 1987; 6" × 9" x 5/8", paperback, 275 pages.

"First Light is first of all a love letter to the Palomar Observatory and to the astronomers and civilians who are using it to plumb a few of the details of our situation here in the universe.  It is one of the finest accounts of scientists at work that I have read.  Most writers say they want their books to read like a novel, but Preston actually delivers." --- Dennis Overbye

"This is Preston's best book, and it is the best book ever written about astronomers and the things they do.  The science is accurate, the portraits of the human characters are true to life, and the story whizzes along like a ride on a roller coaster." --- Freeman Dyson

"Preston is a master storyteller, pure and simple.  When he turns his talents to science writing, the result is spellbinding.  First Light gives a novelist's feeling for the scientific enterprise and its characters." --- Alan Lightman

"Foreword: To Readers and Teachers

THE SYORY BEHIND FIRST LIGHT

First Light is nonfiction, a true story about astronomers who are looking for light coming from the edge of the universe.  It tells how science is really done--and science is a lot weirder and more human than most people realize.  The book has been out of print and hard to find; this is a revised and updated edition.  For some reason, First Light has gotten a reputation as a kind of cult classic about science.  I never really intended it to be read as a science book, but books, like children, have a way of choosing their own friends."

                                                                                                      Richard Preston