Galaxies and the cosmic frontier

I: A GALAXY PRIMER: Galaxies and the universe

Form and function

Galactic anatomy

The missing mass

Creation and evolution

II: NEARBY GALAXIES: The Milky Way

The Clouds of Magellan

Dwarfs of the local group

The nearest giants

Interacting and starbursting galaxies

The most powerful galaxies

III: OUR GALAXIAN UNIVERSE: Gauging the galaxies

Clusters and superclusters, filaments and voids

The expanding cosmos

Scenarios of origin

The cosmic frontier

Epilogue.