This book (now in a 5th edition) methodically explains why eclipses of the sun and moon happen, their intricate patterns in time and space - and why they are so exciting.There are page-spreads, with dynamic globe diagrams, for examples of the main kinds of eclipse and several curious cases such as a "broken-ring eclipse", a "geometrically tight eclipse", a "globe-skimming eclipse". There is lingering many-page treatment of two great solar eclipses: the "ideal" one of July 1991 that went over Hawaii, Baja California, and Mexico, and that of August 2017 across the U.S.A. from Oregon to South Carolina.Rich illustrations, including the 12-page "bead curtain" chart of all eclipses from 1901 to 2116, "Eclipse stories" (with some cartoons), eclipses of the future, tables, index.