This book focuses (in its 5th edition) on the eclipses of 2017, especially the solar eclipse that will cross America from Oregon to South Carolina on August 21; but it is about all eclipses. It 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". 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.