The Power of Stars: How Celestial Observations Have Shaped Civilization
From the reviews:“The Power of Stars is an enjoyable … perfectly smooth, jaunt through humankind’s history and its relationship to the heavens. … It is one of those books that every planetarian should have because it references so much information in a well-organized and easily accessible fashion. … The Power of Stars is more than worthy of a place in my library, and I know I will be going back to it again and again.” (Woodrow W. Grizzle III, Planetarian, September, 2012)“It’s rarely been my pleasure to read a book of such expansive, eloquent erudition. … illustrate the plethora of ways humans throughout history ‘responded to the sky’ – sometimes ‘with fear, sometimes with great artistry and other times with great rationality’. Indeed, some ancient responses seem remarkably prescient. … will fascinate everyone from the most hardened scientific materialist to astrologers to ancient astronaut advocates. … The Power of Stars is a fascinating testament to that endearing fascination. Very highly recommended.” (Mark Greener, Fortean Times, 2011)“Well worth a read for any astronomer – amateur or professional … . This is a really handsome book … . Colourful, educational, insightful and entertaining, it’s a veritable treasure chest of knowledge. Whether your interest is in looking at star charts and atlases from the comfort of your armchair, or standing in a dew-soaked field at dawn watching planets glowing above the eastern horizon before dawn, this is a book that really, really does need to be on your bookshelf as soon as possible.” (Cumbrian Sky, May, 2011)“The majority of topics are well arranged to survey how many different cultures over a wide stretch of world history have experienced the sky. … the text is clear and the numerous high-quality illustrations are appropriate. … excellent general reference to astronomy and its uses in ancient Babylon, China, Egypt, Greece, and the Australian bush, and by Native Americans and others. An excellent bibliography and index of figures are an added value. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates and general readers.” (M. K. Hemenway, Choice, Vol. 48 (9), May, 2011)“Bryan Penprase, the Frank P. Brackett Professor of Physics and Astronomy, gives a course on ‘Archaeoastronomy and world cosmology’. His lecture notes have been polished up to produce this textbook. … I greatly enjoyed reading Penprase’s book. It was a thought-provoking, incisive, world-encompassing, beautifully illustrated, and reasonably sceptical.” (David W. Hughes, The Observatory, Vol. 131 (1222), June, 2011)