Celestial Charts Antique Maps of the Heavens by Carole Stott

Celestial Charts Antique Maps of the Heavens

by Carole Stott

Studio Editions, 1995, ISBN 1858911982, full-colour illustrations throughout, hardcover, dustjacket, 

Like New Condition, previous owners gift inscription to inside front flyleaf, minor edge wear, dustjacket has minor edge/shelf wear

'This intriguing book reveals how pioneering astronomers mapped first the northern and then the southern sky and how the constellations have evolved over two thousand years to form the eighty-eight internationally recognized constellations of today.  The author's lively, informative commentary describes how the characters of classical mythology, birds of paradise and other exotic creatures are represented alongside symbols of science and technology in the night sky.
This magnificently illustrated book presents over sixty exquisite maps created by such renowned astronomers and mapmakers as Halley, Lacaille, van Keulen and Allard.  many of the maps in Celestial Charts are being published for the first time since their original date of issue.  Early and richly illuminated manuscripts, depicting individual constellations such as Pisces and Libra, are superbly reproduced, as are the finely etched celestial globes and highly painted charts covering whole hemispheres of sky.'