This is a great book. Here is a book with social and technical details. It has an excellent history of Messier. As well good finder charts for the Messier's objects.
The photos may not be what you expect. They aren't the glossy colorful pictures from "coffee table" astronomy books. They are practical photographs. Ken Graun photographed every single item in the Messier list with the same telescope setup and exposures. The pictures show what the Andromeda galaxy looks like compared to Orion Nebula compared to the Hercules Star Cluster. This provides you with an excellent reference for comparison. I can't imagine an Amateur Astronomy library without this book. ( )