"While any of the four [monographs available in the field of adaptive optics] is suitable for use in a graduate class in observational astronomy, by far the best of them is Adaptive Optics for Astronomical Telescopes, by John Hardy, a pioneer in adaptive optics who, as adaptive-optics project leader at ITEK Corp, led the research and technology effort that culminated in the first operational military adaptive optics system in 1981. Hardy's book . . . would be an outstanding choice for a graduate class, because each topic is explained completely from basic principles to the ultimate level of complexity. . . . Once one is immersed in the rhythm of the presentation, the book is a pleasure to read. The strengths of Hardy's work include his knowledge of the US military literature in this field and his even-handed presentation of the many competing technologies that contribute to an adaptive-optics system."--Physics Today
