Our ideas about black holes are most often based on popular myths and several well-known scientific facts. Describing the history of the study of black holes, Chris Impey easily debunks the most common misconceptions and opens the door to the mysterious world of distant stars and their invisible but influential companions. The history of astrophysics appears as a series of stunning discoveries made by several generations of enthusiastic and talented scientists who managed to describe the past, present and future of outer space, calculate the approximate location of the nearest black holes and assume what awaits the Universe in millions of years. Lively, fascinating narration and detailed explanations make the book understandable for any reader - from a physicist to a schoolboy.