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Title: The Chinese Sky During the Han: Constellating Stars and Society (Sinica Leidensia, V. 38) by J. Kistemaker, Jacob Kistemaker, Sun Xiaochun, S. Xiaochun ISBN: 9-0041073-7-1 Publisher: Brill Academic Pub Pub. Date: 01 June, 1997 Format: Hardcover List Price(USD): $110.00

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Average Customer Rating: 3.67 (3 reviews)

Rating: 2
Summary: Presentation matters
Comment: While I am in no position to evaluate the accuracy of the content of the book, I will offer a few remarks on the presentation of that information. Brill is a noted publisher of academic books, and the work in question is clearly aimed at an audience of scholars and academic libraries (note the list price!). However, the book fails miserably to adhere to basic standards of academic writing. For example, the format of most footnotes is irregular, and not in accord with standard Sinological practice. Should a reader wish to cross reference a claim made by the authors using the notes provided, the original source would be difficult to locate. Furthermore, the text would have benefitted from the hand of a skilled copy editor. For example, three of four references to the Han astronomer Luoxia Hong in the work consist of virutally identical sentences! One would expect more from Brill, and at the cost , one should demand better. Thus, while the information in the text may be accurate and important, the presentation of the material calls serious doubt to the entire enterprise.

Rating: 5
Summary: A Marvelous Read
Comment: Whether you know nothing or know a lot about Chinese astronomy, you can feel confident in buying this book because it is simply EXCELLENT.

Rating: 4
Summary: This is good for even non-Astronomists!
Comment: This is the first book on this subject so far that hasn't gotten too technical and hung up on mathematics. Although, there is that as well. The part I like best is the way the star maps correlate modern recognizable constellations to the Chinese ones. I was able to find two of the Lunar Lodges this way!