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Title: Star Names Their Lore and Their Meaning (Dover Books on Astronomy) by Richard Hinckley Allen ISBN: 0-486-21079-0 Publisher: Dover Publications Pub. Date: 01 June, 1963 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 (2 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Amazingly Erudite
Comment: This book is an unusual, carefully crafted look at an unfortunately little-known subject. Richard Hinkley Allen shares with us his research into the ancient names carried by our stars... He delves into the etymologies of dozens, or more likely hundreds of stars, and also of constellations. The book starts out with two brief sections discussing features of the Zodiac as a whole, then goes into great detail about each constellation in the sky, zodiacal or otherwise. He draws upon mythology and folklore from the Chinese, Arabs, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Old Norse, Hebrews, Celts, many Native American peoples, Assyrians, etc... There are a few problems with nineteenth century terminology for the modern reader, such as calling Mesopotamian peoples "Euphratean," and frequently the spellings Allen uses are no longer accepted, but, well, I for one don't care about that. This just a gem of a book, that's all there is to it.
If you're like me, you may find yourself startled at how many of the stars carry Arabic names, which Europe adapted in the later Middle Ages. Somehow, that makes me wonder if that obscure fact could somehow help bring about some peace and mutual understanding between the West and the Islamic world... Anyway, I wanted to also mention that if you happen to get really into this stuff, and want to do further research, you could do a lot worse than go online and try to contact a reference librarian at any good divinity school library. That sounds funny, given that this book is about astronomy, and considering the traditional tensions between astronomy and religion, but if you can get access to such a library, you'll be able to leaf through mouldering old dictionaries of many ancient tongues. Especially if the school has offerings in comparative religion. Just a thought. Keep looking up!
Rating: 4
Summary: A superb scholarly literary reference (but a bit dated)
Comment: This book is filled with ancient and classical literary references and catalog designations of the stars. At the price, it's an outstanding bargain. Greek, Latin, Persian, Arabic, Chinese, and European lore are all there. I think it's a"must have" for anyone interested in historical astronomy.
The book loses 1 star because the original text was written in 1895: before the constellation names and boundaries were fixed by the International Astronomical Union in 1930. So a beginner could get confused by references to a star being in one constellation whereas the IAU put the star in another.
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Title: The Starlore Handbook: An Essential Guide to the Night Sky by Geoffrey Cornelius ISBN: 0811816044 Publisher: Chronicle Books Pub. Date: 01 April, 1997 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: The Heavens Declare by William D. Banks, Mary Uhring ISBN: 0892281014 Publisher: Impact Christian Books Pub. Date: 01 November, 1985 List Price(USD): $6.95 |
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Title: The New Patterns in the Sky: Myths and Legends of the Stars by Julius D. W. Staal ISBN: 0939923041 Publisher: McDonald and Woodward Publishing Company Pub. Date: 01 March, 1988 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
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Title: Gospel in the Stars by Joseph A. Seiss ISBN: 0825437962 Publisher: Kregel Publications Pub. Date: 1999 List Price(USD): $12.99 |
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Title: Witness of the Stars by Ethelbert W. Bullinger ISBN: 0825422450 Publisher: Kregel Publications Pub. Date: 01 January, 1984 List Price(USD): $14.99 |
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