Includes bibliographical references (p. 321-332) and index.

Machine generated contents note: 1 The Early Society -- AAS Meetings Before There Was an AAS: -- The Pre-History of the Society3 -- Donald E. Osterbrock -- The Pickering Years20 -- David H. DeVorkin -- The First West Coast Meeting of the AAS37 -- Donald E. Osterbrock -- Amateurs and the Society during the Formative Years40 -- Marc Rothenberg and Thomas R. Williams -- The American Astronomical Society, 1897-1947 [reprint of 1947 article]53 -- Joel Stebbins -- 2 Beyond the Borders -- Honorary American Astronomers: -- Canada and the American Astronomical Society61 -- Richard A. Jarrell -- A Century of Astronomy in Mexico: -- Collaboration with American Astronomers74 -- Silvia Torres-Peimbert -- 3 Recollections of the Society -- Personal Reminiscences of Being AAS Treasurer -- and O ther Stories87 -- Frank K. Edmondson -- Recollections after Fifty Years: -- Haverford AAS Meeting, December 195090 -- Vera C. Rubin -- The AAS as a Network94 -- Arlo U. Landolt -- My Years as AAS Secretary101 -- Laurence Fredrick -- 4 The Modern Society -- The Post-War Society: Responding to New Patterns of Patronage107 -- David H. DeVorkin -- The Modern Society: Changes in Demographics122 -- David H. DeVorkin and Paul Routly -- The Origins of the Executive Office at the -- American Astronomical Society, 1959-1964137 -- David A. Attis -- Moving to Washington, the Cannon Prize, and Other Thoughts146 -- Margaret Burbidge -- Moving the AAS Executive Office to Washington148 -- Peter B. Boyce -- 5 The Publications of the Society -- A Brief History of The Astronomical Journal165 -- Paul W. Hodge -- The American Astronomical Society and The Astrophysical Journal176 -- Helmut A. Abt -- 6 The Society in a Changing World -- Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy187 -- Susan Simkin -- Astronomy Education and the American Astronomical Society194 -- Andrew Fraknoi and Donat Wentzel -- The American Astronomical Society and the News Media213 -- Stephen P. Maran -- 7 The Divisions of the Society -- The Origin of the Divisions of the American Astronomical Society -- and the History of the High Energy Astrophysics Division223 -- Virginia Trimble -- The Solar Physics Division238 -- John H. Thomas -- The Beginnings of the Division for Planetary Sciences -- of the American Astronomical Society252 -- Dale P. Cruikshank and Joseph W. Chamberlain -- The Founding of the Division on Dynamical Astronomy-A Few Recollections269 -- R. L. Duncombe -- The Historical Astronomy Division277 -- Katherine Bracher -- 8 Commentary by Recent AAS Presidents -- Prioritizing Science: A Story of the Decade Survey for the 1990s289 -- John N. Bahcall -- The Changing Research Environment301 -- Sidney Came Wolff -- Our Changing Society307 -- Frank H. Shu -- Responsibilities of an American Astronomical Society312 -- Andrea K. Dupree.