Books Advisory Committee

History: Proposed to the Board of Trustees at the June 2024 AAS meeting in Madison, Wisconsin, that the existing AAS Books Board be made into an AAS Books Advisory Committee of the AAS Board of Trustees to a) oversee all AAS book publishing activities, b) be appointed by the AAS Board of Trustees, and c) include members drawn from the community who represent the topical science communities served by the AAS and from the amateur astronomy community. Nominations (including self-nominations) to serve on the committee will be accepted by the Board of Trustees.

Charge: 

1. Establish new partnership with either MIT Press or Cambridge University Press
2. As part of MIT Press proposal in a) explore new series aimed at young readers
3. Clearly articulate each AAS book brand (see below)
4. Establish an internal selection process to review all book proposals using committee-defined objective selection criteria, including financial viability, scientific accuracy, alignment with AAS brand and mission, and potential sales success.

AAS Books

A continuation of the joint AAS-IOP program being canceled by IOPP, primarily aimed at advanced students, researchers, and scientists in the field.

In partnership with either MIT Press or Cambridge University Press

The Future of Astronomy Series (NEW, with MIT Press)

The Future of Astronomy series will bring the wonder, excitement, and mystery of 21st-century astronomy to younger readers, primarily from the ages of twelve to twenty.

The series will be designed to invite the next generation of readers into the world of astronomy. These books would provide a level of scientific credibility that is sometimes missing from books for younger readers, while also offering readers a unique point of entry into the essential questions that drive our study of the universe. Most books for young readers are focused on the youngest cohorts; this series would offer a distinct alternative to books that would often feel too “childish” to older children. Books in the series would neither talk down to readers nor would they be watered-down or bland primers on the field. Instead, they will speak to younger readers’ curiosity, their thirst for knowledge, their intellectual sophistication, and their hopes and fears for the future. Younger readers are living through an age of discovery, when they are open to the possibilities of what science can offer. Our books can make the world of astronomy feel tantalizingly within their grasp.

Sky & Telescope

Sky & Telescope has substantial brand presence within the astronomical community, both with professional astronomers and engaged amateurs. The brand is characterized by the magazine's content, which includes informative articles about recent scientific discoveries in both short and long formats and substantial content to assist people to observe the sky.

Willmann-Bell

This brand, established by Perry Remaklus and donated to the AAS, is far more technical and detailed in its range of published content than the Sky & Telescope brand. Books published under this imprint include comprehensive atlases of the night sky and book series providing detailed information about the night sky such as “Annals of the Deep Sky (v1-10+)” and “The Night Sky Observer’s Guide” among others.