There are a lot of books out there about backyard astronomy. An Astronomer’s Tale is almost certainly the only one that will, in addition to introducing the constellations and offering tips about deep-sky observing, also teach you how to split a brick in half and describe what it feels like to fight in a Sunderland–Chelsea football gang war. The author, Gary Fildes, grew up in the north-east of England in the 1970s, when most adult men in the area worked down the mines, in the Sunderland shipyards or on a building site. After a chequered career at school, young Gary chose the third option, and trained as a bricklayer. “My future was Sunderland and I would do Sunderland things whether I liked them or not,” he writes. “More times than not, I liked them back then.”

He did have an interest in astronomy, sparked by a childhood Christmas when one of his brothers received a telescope, but after being beaten up as a teenager for talking about the Moon, it was a passion he kept to himself. Then, in his mid-30s, something changed; as Fildes puts it, “I came out. As an astronomer.” He began reading science books in the evening, bought his own telescope, and started going along to meetings of the Sunderland Astronomical Society, or SAS (motto: “Who Stares Wins”). Eventually, Fildes’ passion for astronomy completely transformed his life. Today, he is lead astronomer at Kielder Observatory, home to some of the darkest skies in the whole of the UK and a major attraction for people eager to reconnect with the night sky.

In An Astronomer’s Tale, Fildes intersperses stories from his upbringing with a series of monthly guides to the night sky. The observing tips are honed by years of experience, and Fildes excels at capturing the atmosphere at public observatories and star parties, where red light bulbs “create an atmosphere of secrecy, as if we are all children hiding beneath a duvet cover”. His book also offers a gentle reminder to professional astronomers – who spend most of their time glued to computer screens rather than telescope eyepieces – not to forget the simple pleasures of observing. “Is their inspiration, their ability to dream about our universe, getting lost in the technical jungle of scientific progression?” he wonders. If it is, places like Kielder – and books like this one – will surely help them find it again.

• 2016 Century £16.99hb 320pp