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Peter,
G'day.
I went along to Queensland Astrofest 2009 to "try before I buy". There I met , "Star-Hopper" (GlenC) and was given two amazing tours of the sky. The first night was through a 16" Lightbridge and the second through the 25" SDM #004 - and all objects found without any electronic aids. This experience set me on my particular path into Astronomy - buy the biggest aperture I could afford, and learn to star-hop.
Glen's advice was the same back then as now - start with learning the 20 brightest stars. My list of "usual suspects" is growing steadily, though not all are locked away in long term memory - I still have to get my books out sometimes.
If you are not inclined to start with a constellation map and FIND objects by working it out for yourself, then as a starting point, I highly recommend, "Star Watch - The Amateur Astronomer's Guide To Finding, Observing, and Learning about Over 125 Celestial Objects" by Philip S. Harrington.
This book presents star charts for each of the Seasons with clear instructions for star-hopping you way to targets. And once you realise you can do it .....well the sky is the limit.
Happy hunting.
Michael.
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