This is a proceeding of the International Astronomical Union Symposia and Colloquia #321. This volume compiles a collection of papers that "summarize our current understanding of the rarefied universe and prepare for the optimal exploitation of upcoming astronomical instruments. They discuss the most recent advances in the study of the stellar, dust and gas content of galaxy outskirts, going from resolved stellar populations in the Milky Way and in the Local Group to the study of high-redshift systems."

This is a proceeding of the International Astronomical Union Symposia and Colloquia #199. This volume compiles a collection of papers that review "recent research progress in the field of quasar absorption line systems, from both observational and theoretical perspectives. The seventy-eight papers cover topics ranging from the galaxy-absorber connection, Lyman-alpha systems, abundances and dust, and high redshift studies including reionization, to models and numerical simulations concerning many of these aspects."

This is the proceeding for a meeting held in August 2003 at UC Boulder. Contributed papers range from "the inventory of baryons, to the associations between galaxies and absorbers, to the mechanisms by which galaxies obtain and lose gas." Several key questions included: "Where are the baryons in the local universe and in what phase do they reside? What signatures of galaxy evolution have been imprinted on the IGM? What percentage of intergalactic gas is left from the galaxy formation process? What does the distribution of baryons at z = 0 tell us about the early universe?"

This is a proceeding for a meeting marking the 20th anniversary of the VLA in May 2000. Topics start with the recombination event, and continue through the Epoch of HI Reionization, the epoch of galaxy formation, and the current epoch (local universe). Emphasis is on the interplay between galaxies, their environment, and their surrounding residual gas signatures from their interactions. The book includes some 200 HI and optical images of both optically "weird" galaxies and optically normal galaxies with "weird" HI.

This is the proceeding for Actes du 13 Colloque d' Astrophysique de l'Institute d' Astrophysique de Paris, held in July 1997 in Paris. Papers for this well attended meeting of the "who's who of absorption line studies" cover a wide range of topics including the thermal history of the universe, the Lyman-alpha forest, the clustering and spatial distribution of absorbers, association with galaxies, DLAs, and the cosmic deuterium abundance. These results comprise the some of the first exciting findings from HIRES/Keck data.

This is the proceeding for the watershed meeting on quasar absorption line research held in Garching in November 1994. It is the follow-up meeting to the famous 1988 Baltimore meeting and it is the first gathering of astronomers presenting results using HIRES/Keck spectra, which instantly revolutionized the science. As boasted by the editor, "the controversial question of whether the majority of the narrow absorption lines observed in QSO spectra represent cosmological intervening systems or ejecta from the QSO themselves is settled." Topics include DLAs, chemical abundances and dust contents,  Galactic Halo absorption, low- and intermediate-redshift metal-line absorbers, BALs ad QSO environments, and the Lyman-alpha forest at low and high redshifts.

This is the proceeding for the famous Space Telescope Science Institute Symposium held May 19-21, 1987, roughly three full years before HST was launched in preparation for that transformational event. "Experts in this field discuss the nature of the absorbing process in the vicinity of quasars, the Lyman-alpha forest, metal-line systems, and quasars as probes of high redshift galaxies." They also discuss "the current models of quasar absorption and the systems of absorption lines in the spectra of quasars."  This volume presents a fascinating glimpse at the cutting-edge state of the discipline of QSO absorption lines when it was at the threshold of maturing into the fully modern science we know today.

This book is an edited compilation of papers by leading experts in the field of quasar absorption lines, including both observational and theoretical CGM and galaxy evolution pundits. The central theme is gas accretion, one of the most important components of the baryon cycle governing galaxy evolution. Theoretical work is way out in front of observations, yet the theory needs the observations to constrain and discriminate between the physical details of competing ideas. This book is a master class for anyone who wishes to bring themselves up to speed rapidly and to the forefront of both the theoretical and observational components of the field.

This book is an edited compilation of papers by leading experts in the field of the IGM at high redshift and reionization astrophysics. Topics covered range from formation of the first structures and metals in the Universe to the physics of reionization in the intergalactic medium, from primordial galaxy evolution to Lyman-alpha emitting (LAE) galaxies, from quasar spectra as a probe to CMB 21-cm absorption as a probe. Though this book is a decade old, it contains the essentials and foundation for all things reionization and as such remains a potent and relevant resource for students and those interested in reionization fundamentals, both theoretical and observed.

This is the proceeding for July 1992 Teton Summer School. It includes 28 tutorial-style papers summarizing invited review talks and a panel discussion on  the nature of "high-redshift" objects (z~2-3!).  Topics include "the interstellar and intergalactic medium, galaxy formation and evolution, cooling flows, quasars and radiation backgrounds, and Interactions between galaxies/AGNs and their environment. Recent advances with the ROSAT, COBE, and Hubble Space Telescope are discussed, together with current theoretical developments." (NB. HST was launched April 1990).

This book provides highly relevant descriptions of virtually all of astrophysical gas environments, including their properties and key processes. In the interstellar medum (ISM), the authors cover the cold and warm neutral medium (CNM, WNM), the warm ionized medium (WIM) and ionized nebulae, the hot ionized medium (HIM), interstellar dust, and giant molecular clouds (GMCs). Outside galaxies, the authors cover the circumgalactic medium (CGM) and intracluster medium (ICM), the diffuse intergalactic medium (IGM), and the warm-hot interglactic medium (WHIM). The chapters are short, focuses, and tight. This is an excellent all-in-one reference book.

One should also mention Lyman Spitzer's authorative and now classic book Physical Processes in the Interstellar Medium, which first appeared in 1978.

(From Princeton University Press): This is a comprehensive and richly illustrated textbook on the astrophysics of the interstellar and intergalactic medium. Topics include radiative processes across the electromagnetic spectrum; radiative transfer; ionization; heating and cooling; astrochemistry; interstellar dust; fluid dynamics, including ionization fronts and shock waves; cosmic rays; distribution and evolution of the interstellar medium; and star formation.

One should also mention Lyman Spitzer's authorative and now classic book Physical Processes in the Interstellar Medium, which first appeared in 1978.

This 2nd edition is derived from the classic book a.k.a. AGN2 written by distinguished astronomer Donald Osterbrock and first published in 1989. Its origins are found in Osterbrosk's 1974 book Astrophysics of Gaseous Nebulae. This 2nd edition with contributions from Gary Ferland, includes significant updates including two new chapters covering infrared and x-ray observations, dust emission and molecules, and high-ionization emission. Two appendices are also added focused on the quantum physics underlying emission line and molecular spectra from AGN.

This is an excellent and thorough, if not technical, introduction to the physics of diffuse gas. After defining what the "diffuse universe" is, the authors expound upon line emission processes (both atomic and molecular), collisional excitation, radiative transfer in lines (including 21-cm), collisional ionization in equilibrium (a.k.a. CIE), continuum emission, recombination line processes, the cooling function of plasmas, shock physics (including photoionization processes within) generalized photoionization theory, measuring diagnostics from observed spectra lines, dust emission, astrochemistry (molecular), and a tour of the thermal phases of diffuse gas. Each chapter concludes with a set of practical exercises. 

This book may be three decades old, but do not let that fool you. This is a one-stop-shop for learning how to measure emission lines and absorption lines and interpret the physical conditions (temperature, density, composition, dynamics) of the emitting and absorbing gas from those measurements. It is highly practical in its treatment and covers virtually all astrophysical environments, from the CNM to the WHIM, and from stellar atmospheres to quasar winds. Not only are excellent introductions to radiative transfer and atomic and molecular transitions provided, but the practical approach to line measurements will forever serve as a quick and easy reference for any practicing spectroscopist. Highly recommended for your collection!

This is the latest offering in the pantheon of galaxy theory textbooks. Galaxy astrophysics has advanced quite dramatically over the last 20 years, and although much of the foundational basis remains in solid ground, observations and theory have advanced the details in our understanding.  This book is split into four parts: basics and galactic dynamics, disk galaxies, elliptical galaxies, and galaxy formation and evolution. With roughly five chapter per part, the author is able to cover the foundations and then expound on the latest findings and theory. The author, Jo Bovy, is the lead developer of the widely used Python library for galactic dynamics called "galpy." see https://github.com/jobovy. 

A full electronic version can be viewed on Google Books.  (link)

From the back cover: "This book gives a general review of our current knowledge of AGN powered by supermassive black holes: how they are fueled by gas (or stars) and what problems are encountered; how can we account for the wide variety of AGN, from Seyfert/Liners to quasars, and for the two types (AGN 1 and 2) either through dust obscuration, and geometrical orientation arguments, or through intrinsic activity difference, qualitative or quantitative. With modern instruments, providing high resolution and sensitivity, like ALMA in radio, or MUSE at the ESO/VLT, it is possible to unveil the interstellar medium and stars in the circumnuclear regions, discover molecular disks and tori, in the sphere of influence of the black holes."

Merritt's book provides a comprehensive introduction to active supermassive black holes in the centers of galaxies. The treatment is suitable for astrophysics and physics graduate students and researchers "focusing on galactic nuclei, the astrophysics of massive black holes, galactic dynamics, and gravitational wave detection." Topics explored include the observations of galactic nuclei, dynamical models and black hole accretion dynamics, measuring black hole masses, evolution of active galactic nuclei, and binary supermassive black holes.

This book broadly summarizes our knowledge of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). The full spectral energy distribution is described and analyzed. Competing physical models of AGN physics are presented. The authors describe the AGN phenomenon in the context of cosmic environment, host galaxies, feedback, and variability. They then examine the cosmological evolution of AGN. The book covers: radiative processes, the AGN entral engine, AGN types, unification models, AGN spectra, variability, and environment, quasars, cosmology, and the formation, evolution, and ultimate fate of AGN. The final chapter summarizes "what we do not know" (as of 2012).

This book, though more than a decade old in a field that continues to advanced ever more rapidly, remains as relevant today as when it was furst published. the reason is that the author sumarizes the historical development and context of the field as well as focuses on time-proven techniques and fundamental quantities. There is very little in ths monograph that has become outdated.  The book is divided into four parts: The Context, Methods and Tools, Observational Results and Interpretations, and An Outlook to the Future. If one is interested in this area of research, then this book provides a single resource from which to build foundational fundamental knowledge to become an expert.

This book, which is primarily theoretical, first appeared in 1989 and instantly became the authoritative resource on the dynamics of galaxies. It is now a classic. The 2nd edition features almost complete rewrites for updates in the our understanding circa 2005. Updated topics including N-body and hydrodynamic simulation methods, the effects of black holes on stellar systems, linear stability and response theory, and galaxy formation in the broader context of cosmic evolution. Virtually al the material remains totally relevant today (two decades later), though one would love to see a 3rd edition in the near future. Nonetheless, the material in this book remains foundational.

Krolik begins with a refreshing journey probing the AGN phenomena. "What are they? How can they be found? How do they evolve?" He takes stock of the evidence for supermassive black holes. He explores their accretion and energey generation. The book covers gamma-ray, X-ray, UV, optical, and radio emission (including jets). Both emission and absorption lines are described. He also explores the relationship between AGN and host galaxy properties. The book is an excellent intructional resource for both students and seasoned astronomers wishing to be introduced to AGN observations and theory circa 2000.

The alternative offering circa 2000 provides an approachable, clear, pedagogic treatment of the fundamentals: quasar surveys, continuum radiation, time variability, relativistic beaming, accretion disks, jet sidedness, gravitational lensing, unification and detailed, multi-wavelength studies of individual objects. Focus points include radio, X-ray, and gamma-ray observations. The authors not only cover the (often puzzling) observations of the day, but also the theoretical models of AGN and quasars, enhanced by self-contained derivations.  The predictions of the leading theories and models are critically compared to the data. The book  targets graduate and advanced undergraduates students. 

This book comprises a comprehensive series of interview-style question and answer essays that capture what first-hand participants felt and thought during the many golden moments of the historical development of quasar research. Experts are asked specific questions based on their experiences, discoveries, and collaborations. They are also asked to summarize open issues in understanding AGN and quasars and speculate on the outlook regarding future observational ground-based and space-based facilities. It is a deep dive for the serious student of both the history of quasar research and the astrophysics of AGN and quasars.

This is the proceeding for an international conference held in honor of Lodewijk Woltjer held May 2000. Much of the focus is on the physics, origin, and space distribution of AGN/quasars, we wll as their relationship to the environment. The majority of the contributions are dedicated reviews spanning from the history, through the recent observational advances , to the new observations anticipated with the next generation (i.e., 2000+) powerful astronomical instrumentation (from the ground and from space).  These papers are perspectives from the giants in the field who have personally seen it all,  including Ken Kellerman, Patrick Osmer, Geoffrey Burbidge, 

Excerpt from Amazon with slight modifications: For twenty years, Halton Arp contested the view of quasars as the most distant objects in the universe. In this book, Arp presents his selected observations of quasars and galaxies and explains why he has concluded that quasars are not among the most distant objects in the universe;  he proposes that quasars are associated with relatively nearby galaxies and that the redshifts of quasars are not due to expansion of the universe, but are intrinsic properties of the quasars themselves. He argues that quasars and galaxies have an origin far different from that assumed in the standard big-bang model of the universe. Today, few embrace Arp's views.

When quasar astronomy approached the quarter century mark, author Dan Weedman, who himself had 20 years of research experience, decided to summarize what was known after 2+ decades of quasar science. In this book, he describes the nature of quasars, their distribution, and their evolution in the universe -- to the degree those details were known in 1986. Weedman focuses on observations and avoids theory, which was not as confidently developed at the time. Interestingly, he dedicated only four pages to quasar absorption line science! Today, information and unknowns described in this book are dated, but if you want a snapshot of quasar science at a quarter century, this book is a gem.

This book is a collection of 15 review talks at a NATO summer school held at the IoA, Cambridge in August 1977.  Nine talks focus on interpretations of data with emphasis on the physical properties of the quasar/galaxies themselves.  The other six focus on modeling of the accreting central black holes. Hazard himself penned the introductory chapter, and this engaging entry is a comprehensive summary written in accessible non-technical language. The book then progresses from the normal galaxies, to radio galaxies, to Seyfert galaxies, culminating with quasars. The book is well suite for students and researchers interested in the state of the field in the late 1970s.

The book provides a comprehensive compilation of all available data and theoretical ideas developed during the first four years of quasar science. The Burbidges offer 18 chapters in 220 pages. Everything is discussed from the initial discovery of quasi-stellar objects to their spectral energy distributions to their proper motions. The first models of the emitting regions are described and scrutinized, as are correlations with redshift and contrasting ideas of quasars as local phenomena versus association with high-redshift radio galaxies. A focal point of the book is the nature of quasar emission line redshifts. History has shown that Geoffrey Burbidge was a long-term proponent of non-cosmological quasar redshifts (as was Halton Arp), instead preferring alternative explanations. The final chapter remains an amazing read for those seeking insights into the quandaries faced in the early days, as it provides an engaging and tantilizing summary.