The experience of working with amateur astronomers in the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States and in Ukraine shows a noticeable lack of literature, especially educational and methodological. The amateurs, possessing an observational base, do not know what best to observe at a given moment, and those, who are not yet ready for practical work in astronomy, do not know how to be prepared.

A series of brochures under the title “The Atlas of Amateur Astronomy”has been prepared, which pursues the purpose of delivering to amateurs a minimum of the necessary information on the following items:

1. Popular scientific reviews (lectures) on various directions in astronomy and astrophysics.

2. Methodological articles on the bases of observations and their processing.

3. Programs of observations, finding charts of variable stars, short information on comets, meteor showers etc.

4. Help material (tables, ephemerides, items of information from the General Catalogue of Variable Stars etc.).

5. Observations made by the amateurs themselves.

Five issues of “The Atlas of Amateur Astronomy”have been published. Together they contain information on about 60 objects, for which finding charts and comparison stars are given.

Part I contains the introductory articles, description of a structure of the atlas, which is repeated in the other issues, finding charts for 20 variable stars, recommendations for observations and the table of Julian dates from 1980 till 1995 (the atlas was issued in 1990).

Part II contains the first lecture from a cycle “Variety in the world of variable stars” on a theme “Long-period variables”. In this part the finding charts with comparison stars for 30 variables are given.