The Concise Knowledge Astronomy, published in 1898, was one of a series of popular reference books by experts. Agnes Clerke (1842–1907) was a successful author of books on astronomy and its history (three of her other works being reissued in this series), and her co-authors were astrophysicist Alfred Fowler, an internationally renowned expert in spectroscopy, and J. Elland Gore, a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and expert on variable stars. Illustrated by over 100 photographs and drawings, the book aims to provide the educated non-specialist reader with an understanding of current astronomical knowledge. The application of new technologies, such as photography and spectroscopy, to astronomy in the nineteenth century had led to many new discoveries, and public interest in the subject had greatly increased. The book is divided into four parts - the history of astronomy, astronomical movements and instruments, the solar system, and sidereal astronomy.