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Ridpath explains in readable, concise, and reliable terms the origin and meaning of constellations, the 88 star patterns visible in the night sky. He emphasizes throughout that these configurations are a product of the human imagination and, as such, the patterns have changed throughout history. The author shows how Greek and Roman mythology shaped these celestial images into the assemblages of figures we see today. Each constellation is well explained using sufficient detail. Most public libraries will want this wonderful story of star tales. - Robert Paul, Dickinson Coll., Carlisle, Pa. --Library Journal
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Every night, a pageant of Greek mythology circles overhead. Perseus flies to the rescue of Andromeda, Orion faces the charge of the snorting Bull, and the ship of the Argonauts sails in search of the Golden Fleece. Constellations are the invention of the human imagination, not of nature. They are an expression of the human desire to impress its own order upon the apparent chaos of the night sky. Modern science tells us that these twinkling points of light are glowing balls of gas, but the ancient Greeks, to whom we owe many of our constellations, knew nothing of this. Ian Ridpath, well-known astronomy writer and broadcaster, has been intrigued by the myths of the stars for many years. Star Tales is the first modern guide to combine all the fascinating myths in one book, illustrated with the beautiful and evocative engravings from two of the leading star atlases: Johann Bode's Uranographia of 1801 and John Flamsteed's Atlas Ceolestis of 1729. This is an excellent reference and the perfect gift for the armchair astronomer and those interested in classical mythology alike.
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4.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
very good for what it is, 29 Jan 2003
By Diana Nier - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Star Tales (Hardcover)
Ian Ridpath's "Star Tales" is exactly what its title says: a collection of the myths and legends (mostly Greek) attached to the 88 recognized constellations. The constellations are listed in alphabetical order, each with its accompanying history and legends and often with an illustration from old star charts -- ones that drew pictures over the collections of stars instead of linking the stars with straight lines. The use of archaic star charts makes it difficult to properly identify any individual stars Ridpath mentions, since they are only marked as alpha, beta, epsilon, etc. in those pictures -- and the writing is very small! It is also hard to transfer those free-form pictures to the more popular connect-the-dots view of constellations.However, Ridpath never claims to be writing about how to find constellations or identify interesting stars. He promises to tell stories, and he does. Exhaustively. With all alternate versions, plus references to the ancient Sumerian myths from which many Greek constellations sprang. He also includes a discussion about the origins of star tales and a list of the more well-known obsolete constellations.
In short, "Star Tales" is a book with a deliberately limited subject matter that it treats intelligently and in great detail. So long as you don't expect anything else from it, you'll be fine. (Some of the stories are awfully fun in their own right, too!)
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