Note: mostly casual and non-mathematical.

• Books (specifically astronomical)
  • Coming of Age in the Milky Way (Timothy Ferris)
  • The Sleepwalkers (Arthur Koestler)
  • The Extravagant Universe (Robert Kirshner)
  • The Red Limit (Timothy Ferris)
  • Watchers of the Skies (Willy Ley)
  • The Glass Universe (Dava Sobel)
• Books (generally scientific)
  • A Short History of Nearly Everything (Bill Bryson)
  • The Immense Journey (Loren Eiseley)
  • Arctic Dreams (Barry Lopez)
• Authors
  • Dava Sobel
  • Timothy Ferris
  • Carl Sagan
• Guides
  • The Sky Observer’s Guide (Golden Field Guide Series)
  • Stars (Golden Field Guide Series)
  • Night Sky (Golden Field Guide Series) note: a bit older
  • All About Telescopes (Sam Brown) note: somewhat dated
• Other
  • The Night Sky 40°-50° Star Finder (Large or Small)

(consider also visting telescopes page or visiting resources linked from Astronomy Vermont)