thanks for the replies, rally and merlin66.
I have passed on that info to my friend.
since it was his birthday, as well, I bought the Kindle version of:
"How to Observe the Sun Safely (The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series)"
http://www.amazon.com/Observe-Patric...ref=pd_sim_b_1
not sure what it is like but hopefully my friend will like it and get some use out of it.
cheers