Astronomy & Archeoastronomy Books

ANCIENT ASTRONOMY (Isaac Asimov's Library of the Universe series)
by Isaac Asimov. Wonderful color and B&W drawings by various artists. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, 1991 Dell Yearling soft cover, first printing. Cover shows moderate edgewear with a pricing note inside front cover. Content: The Babylonians and other ancient peoples were stargazers. They looked up at night, wondered at what they saw, and came up with remarkable answers. They studied the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars to create sundials, calendars, and star maps of astonishing accuracy. In this book, Asimov talks about the fascinating ways that ancient astronomers started us on our quest for knowledge of the cosmos. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 2.59 + $ 3.09 media shipping.

ASTRONOMY AND EMPIRE N THE ANCIENT ANDES: The Cultural Origins of Inca Sky Watching
by Brian S. Bauer and David S. P. Dearborn. B&W maps, photos, charts & De Poma drawings illustrate. Condition: NEW 1995 Univ. of Texas Press Trade Paperback, no printing given. Tiny edge wear. Content: Reviewer: "A very good down to earth summary of the subject. An important synthesis of data on Inca astronomy, well-written and well researched by two experts in the field, an archaeologist/historian and an astronomer. Recommended for serious students of othe ancient Andes." Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 99.59 + $ 3.29 media shipping. International shipping available.

BACK TO THE ASTRONOMY CAFE: More Questions and Answers About the Cosmos from "Ask the Astronomer"
by Sten Odenwald. B&W and color photos, drawings, & charts illustrate. Condition: NEW 2003 Westview Trade Paperback, first printing. Tiny edge wear. Content: Meticulously researched by the education and public outreach manager for the NASA IMAGE satellite program, this question-and-answer book of astronomy, complete with pictures, timetables and a "glossary of annoying terms," provides explanations for many phenomena regarding the sun, moon, Earth and beyond. Odenwald occasionally waxes poetic, writing, for instance, that our world is "a cosmos where every shining star sports a discoverable retinue of worlds to explore." The well-informed amateur will reap much informative detail from this follow-up to the author's original The Astronomy Cafe, based on his popular web site. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 4.49 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

CALENDARS AND CONSTELLATIONS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD"
by Emmeline Plunket. B&W photos, drawings, & charts illustrate. Condition: PLEASE READ. UNREAD, but not perfect, 1997 Senate Trade paperback, reissue of the 1903 original edition. Problem: a bit of shelf wear to the front and back covers. Tiny edge wear. Interior perfect. Content: This is a wonderful book, IMHO!!! The night sky has fascinated humankind for thousands of years. Over the course of millennia, the movements of the stars have become inextricably entwined with complex systems of belief & of prediction that we have come to call astrology. This is a fascinating guide to the astrological beliefs of several important early civilizations. It traces the way in which shape & meaning has been given to the heavens through the arrangement of the houses of the zodiac which mark the passage of the astronomical year. Draws on the surviving records of the cultures of early Greece, Egypt, Persia, & India. Maps & engravings. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 5.49 + $ 3.19 media shipping. International shipping available upon arrangement.

CONVERSING WITH THE PLANETS: How Science and Myth Invented the Cosmos
by Anthony Aveni. B&W photos, charts, & Maya language charts illustrate. Condition: NEW 1994 Kodansha International Trade Paperback, first thus, first printing. Content: Probably the best book on the subject. "Aveni, a professor of astronomy and anthropology at Colgate University, seeks here to integrate--in his view, reintegrate--the rational universe with a more comforting model that takes into account "the interrelationship between matter and spirit." Such ancient astronomically inclined peoples as the Babylonians and the Mayans, he argues, made direct connections between events in the night sky and those on earth, and hence between nature and culture. The Mayans, for example, used their observations of the path of Venus to create a culturally useful myth about planting." For those interested in Mesoamerican archeoastronomy, this is an invaluable point of view for study. [1 copy available]
$ 5.49 + $ 3.09 media shipping. Priority & International shipping available.

COPERNICUS AND MODERN ASTRONOMY
by Angus Armitage. B&W photos and star charts illustrate. Condition: NEW 2004 Dover Trade Paperback, no printing given. Tiny tiny edge wear. Content: Masterly and authoritative, this book by the foremost scholar on the 16th-century astronomer provides lucid accounts of the development and progress of the Copernican theory as well as a fascinating portrait of the man who clarified the basis for modern cosmology. 41 figures. 6 halftones. [1 copy available]
$ 6.99 + $ 3.19 media shipping. International shipping available.

CYCLES OF THE SUN, MYSTERIES OF THE MOON: The Calendar in Mesoamerican Civilization
by Vincent Malmstrom. Loaded with B&W photos, maps, and charts. Condition: NEW 1997 Univ. of Texas Press trade paperback, first edition. Content: The simple question "How did the Maya come up with a calendar that had only 260 days?" led Vincent Malmström to discover an unexpected "hearth" of Mesoamerican culture. In this boldly revisionist book, he sets forth his challenging, new view of the origin and diffusion of Mesoamerican calendrical systems--the intellectual achievement that gave rise to Mesoamerican civilization and culture. Malmström posits that the 260-day calendar marked the interval between passages of the sun at its zenith over Izapa, an ancient ceremonial center in the Soconusco region of Mexico's Pacific coastal plain. He goes on to show how the calendar developed by the Zoque people of the region in the fourteenth century B.C. gradually diffused through Mesoamerica into the so-called "Olmec metropolitan area" of the Gulf coast and beyond to the Maya in the east and to the plateau of Mexico in the west. These findings challenge our previous understanding of the origin and diffusion of Mesoamerican civilization. Sure to provoke lively debate in many quarters, this book will be important reading for all students of ancient Mesoamerica--anthropologists, archaeologists, archaeoastronomers, geographers, and the growing public fascinated by all things Maya. Reviewer: "Malmstrom has written a wonderfully entertaining book stuffed full of facts on the Mesoamerican systems of calendrical accounting. I had no idea the history of their calendars went so far back, nor that they were so widely used by such a great number of civilizations. His theories fill in where the facts leave off, as most studies on ancient cultures must, and the facts support his hypotheses. Malmstrom's theories on the origin of the calendar are quite different in some aspects than those of scholars before him -- one major difference is that he does not believe the Olmec developed the calendar. I don't want to ruin any surprises for a reader -- and there are some for those who accept the commonly supported theories of the Olmec as the "father" of all subsequent Mesoamerican civilizations -- so I will stop with just one more comment: If you have any interest in Mesoamerica or the cultures of the Zoque, Olmec, Zapotec, Maya, Mixtec, Toltec or Aztec, GET THIS BOOK! " [1 copy available]
$ 12.49 + $ 3.29 media shipping. International shipping available - please use the drop-down menu.

ECHOES OF THE ANCIENT SKIES: The Astronomy of Lost Civilizations
by Dr. E. C. Krupp. Great B&W photos, drawings, and star charts illustrate. Condition: PLEASE READ / UNREAD, but not perfect, 1983 Harper, Row large soft cover, no printing given. Light edge wear with rubbing along front hinge - interior clean & tight. Content: All over the world, through countless centuries, people have looked skyward for inspiration and guidance in their lives and activities. For most of the history of humankind, going back to the Stone Age, the sky has served as a tool. The regularity of the motions of celestial objects enabled our ancestors to orient themselves in time and space, satisfying their need for human order. How vast this heavenly influence was, and how awesome the human achievements it engendered were, are illuminated in this extraordinary work of investigation and discovery. With hundreds of illustrations and photographs, Echoes of the Ancient Skies is a sweeping look at the world of archaeoastronomy from the prehistoric megaliths of Stonehenge, to the medicine wheels of North America, to the Aztec "Calendar Stone." The intriguing field of archaeoastronomy--the study of ancient peoples' observation of the skies and its role in their cultural evolution--seeks to explore the "universal evidence that people have used astronomy as the model for injecting order and predictability on their behavior and on life." Examining this universal behavior, Dr. E.C. Krupp takes the reader to sites throughout the world (most of which he has personally visited)--from Egypt, China, Babylonia, and Greece, to Turkey, Scotland, Wyoming, and Mexico. He interprets the significance of celestial observation and its relation to the earthly experiences of our ancestors, from practical applications of farming and the measurement of time to philosophical queries into our particular place within the universe. He covers such fascinating topics as how we see the seasons in the sun and stars, possible ancient and prehistoric observatories such as the megalithic Kintraw monument in Scotland, and sky gods and myths around the world and throughout history--from the Egyptian goddess Nut to the myth of Phaethon and the golden chariot of his father Helios. Krupp goes on to examine the ancient parallels between cosmic creation and our lives (as seen in the great pyramids of Egyptian pharaohs) and monuments of transcendental journey (such as the painted rock shrines of California). He shows us that the effects of celestial observation on our ancestors can also be seen in religious vigils--like shamans' transactions with the sky and their access to the sacred--as well as in calendars and clocks used throughout the centuries, mathematics, ancient temples, sources of world order, and the symbols we draw. [Still the best study, IMHO.] [1 copy available]
$ 8.19 + $ 3.29 media shipping. International shipping on arrangement.

DAVID LEVY'S GUIDE TO OBSERVING AND DISCOVERING COMETS
by David Levy. B&W photos and charts illustrate. Condition: UNREAD 2003 Cambridge Univ. Press large soft cover, no printing given. Light edge wear. Remainder mark bottom edges. Content: Levy has held a lifelong passion for comets, and is one of the most successful comet discoverers in history. In this book he describes the observing techniques that have been developed over the years--from visual observations and searching, to photography, through to electronic charge-coupled devices (CCDs). He combines the history of comet hunting with the latest techniques, showing how our understanding of comets has evolved over time. This practical handbook is suitable for amateur astronomers, from those who are casually interested in comets and how to observe them, to those who want to begin and expand an observing program of their own. Drawing widely from his own extensive experience, Levy describes how enthusiastic amateurs can observe comets and try to make new discoveries themselves. David H. Levy is one of the word's foremost amateur astronomers. He has discovered seventeen comets, seven using a telescope in his own backyard, and had a minor planet, Asteroid 3673 Levy named in his honor. He is best known as the co-discoverer of the famous 1994 Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet. Levy is frequently interviewed in the media and succeeded Carl Sagan as science columnist for Parade magazine. [1 copy available]
$ 4.39 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

THE HEAVENS ON FIRE: The Great Leonid Meteor Storms
by Mark Littmann. Loaded with B&W photos, era photos, drawings, and reproductions. Condition: UNREAD 1999 Cambridge Univ. Press (very heavy) soft cover, no printing given. The paper is excellent - production values excellent. Small remainder mark bottom edges. Content: This book was written for the return of the Leonid Meteors in 2000, but that doesn't mean there's not great writing and information in this book. Meteor succeeded meteor in such rapid succession that it was impossible to count them; at times the sky seemed full of them, and the earth was illuminated as with a morning light. Eye-witness accounts such as this, and every spectacular detail of the Leonids, the greatest meteor showers of all, can be found in the acclaimed The Heavens on Fire. In this volume, author Mark Littmann vividly tells the history of meteors, and especially the Leonids, whose terrifying beauty established meteor science. He traces the history and mythology of meteors, profiles the fascinating figures whose discoveries advanced the field, and explores how meteors have changed the course of life on Earth. Crisp illustrations capture the excitement of past meteor showers and help elucidate important concepts. The returning Leonids are now reaching their peak with great activity expected in 1999 and 2000. For all those who wish to take part in this rare experience, Littmann offers advice on how and where to find the best view. Filled with practical tips, clear explanations, and descriptions of a sight that more than one observer has called "brilliant beyond conception," The Heavens on Fire will delight every reader. Mark Littmann teaches astronomy at the University of Tennessee. His previous books include Comet Halley: Once in a Lifetime and Planets Beyond: Discovering the Outer Solar System. Both books were chosen by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific as Astronomy Books of the Year. [1 copy available]
$ 4.19 + $ 3.39 media shipping.

JOHN HERSCHEL AND VICTORIAN SCIENCE: Exhibition Catalog
by John Leech. B&W photos, charts, drawings. Condition: NEW 1966 University of Texas Exhibition Catalog. Perfect. Content: This is a 56-page exhibition catalog from the 1966 exhibit History of Science Collection, University of Texas, March 3 - May 31, 1966. Detailed manuscripts, photographs, drawings, and books of John Herschel, astronomer from a family of noted astronomers (his father discovered Pluto). Photos of his calculations, drawings, with explanations. Fascinating catalog. Questions welcome. [3 copies available]
$ 5.50 + $ 3.10 media shipping. Priority & International shipping available.

HOW DO YOU GO TO THE BATHROOM IN SPACE?:
All the Answers To All the Questions You Have About Living in Space
by William R. Pogue, Astronaut. Introduction by John Glenn. Cartoons by Sidney Harris. Condition: NEW 1999 TOR Trade Paperback, Revised Edition, first printing. Perfect. B&W NASA photos. Content: Although this is touted as being a book for teens, adults interested in outer space and the NASA program will find it informative as well. Reviewer: "Middle to High Schoolers as well as adults will pick this book up out of curiosity and immediately become engrossed. The question and answer format encourages browsing, and the book includes lots of nice features such as an index, a section for related reading, a section of web addresses and mail addresses for space related organizations. Students will find useful report information presented here in a fun format. The book also includes a number of photographs and drawings relating to the questions it helps answer. Students will discover the many effects of living in space from one of the men who has spent the most time there" - - 84 days (until recently, the record!). [1 copy available]
$ 3.79 + $ 3.09 shipping. Priority shipping available.

LINES TO THE MOUNTAIN GODS: Nazca and the Mysteries of Peru
by Evan Hadingham. Wonderful B&W photos (many by the Author) throughout. Condition: Gently pre-read and highlighted to page 18 and abandoned. Clean front page 19 on. 1989 Univ. of Oklahoma Press large soft cover, second printing. Questions encouraged. Content: "Why did the pre-Incan Nazca Indians carve long mysterious grooves in the Peruvian desert, lines that form enormous outlines of animals, spirals, zigzags and parallels? The fact that many patterns are clearly distinguishable only when viewed from the air led von Daniken to claim that the Nazca lines were a landing strip for UFOs. Hadingham, archaeologist and author of "Early Man and the Cosmos", refutes von Daniken's theory. He also disputes German investigator Maria Reiche, who has spent four decades living near the lines; her belief that the desert markings are a calendar of seasons and star movements accounts for only a small proportion of the lines, according to Hadingham. He argues that some of the patterns wee aids to shamanistic practice, others wee fertility symbols, still others were markers linking holy spots. His thoroughly documented, beautifully written and richly illustrated account is must reading for anyone intrigued by this enigma." - Publishers Weekly. It's a wonderful book! [1 copy available.]
$ 8.50 + $ 3.29 media shipping. International shipping by arrangement - email us.

A LITTLE HISTORY OF ASTRO-ARCHEOLOGY (aka Secrets of the Stones) Revised & Updated Edition
by John Michell. Great B&W photos, star charts, drawings illustrate. Condition: NEW 2001 Thames & Hudson Trade Paperback, revised & updated edition. Content: Stonehenge today is a battlefield, not only for police and festivalgoers at midsummer but also for rival camps of archaeologists, astronomers, and other researchers into the mysteries of prehistoric religion and science. Controversy flared up in 1963, when Gerald Hawkins made early use of the computer to identify Stonehenge as an observatory for the sun and moon and an instrument for predicting eclipses. Further studies of megalithic sites by Alexander Thom proved that many of them were also related to the seasonal positions of the heavenly bodies. The study of astro-archaeology has now expanded worldwide, bringing new revelations about the mystical sciences of antiquity. This "little history" summarizes the issues involved in astro-archaeology, and illustrates its principal sites and personalities. Included are recent findings of British scientists, whose records of anomalous levels of natural energies at stone circles are in accordance with the magical reputations of such places in local folklore. The present state of research and the exciting prospects for astro-archaeology in the future are summed up in the final chapter. 97 B&W illustrations. Questions welcome [1 copy available]
$ 7.69 + $ 3.19 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

MOONSCAPES: A Celebration of Lunar Astronomy, Magic, Legend, and Lore
by Rosemary Ellen Guiley. B&W photos and era drawings & woodcuts illustrate. Condition: UNREAD 1991 Prentice Hall hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first printing. Content: This book will delight anyone who has ever marveled at the effect of Earth's satellite on the tides. A compendium of lunar lore -- fact & fantasy -- from prehistoric times to the Apollo program & thru the 1980s. Beginning with lunar science & history, it presents a potpourri of facts from alchemy to modern astronomy. Includes religious & mythological aspects of the moon, including its influence on fertility, love, prosperity, & good fortune; its use in magic, initiation rites, divination, & witchcraft; & its association with dark powers & creatures of the night, such as werewolves, vampires, & the spirits of the dead. Elegant illustrations, sidebars, charts, & lists. Chapters: What Do We Know about the Moon?; Myths, Rites, and Mysticism; Moon Magic and Lore for Love, Health and Properity; Night Things, Madness and Mayhem; and Man on the Moon and Beyond. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 6.29 + $ 3.29 media shipping.

THE ORION MYSTERY: Unlocking the Secrets of the Pyramids
by Robert Bauval and Adrian Gilbert. B&W photo section plus B&W charts and drawings illustrate. Condition: NEW 1994 Crown hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first American edition, first printing. Content: This fascinating archaeological detective story argues that the great pyramids of Egypt's Fourth Dynasty (c. 26002400 b.c.) were vast astronomically sophisticated temples, rather than the pharaonic tombs depicted by conventional Egyptology. In March 1993, a tiny remote-controlled robot created by Rudolf Gantenbrink, a German robotics engineer, traveled up airshafts within the Great Pyramid of Giza and relayed to scientists video pictures of a hitherto unknown sealed door within the pyramid. Bauval, a British engineer and writer who has been investigating the pyramids for more than ten years, and Gilbert, a British publishing consultant, use Gantenbrink's tantalizing discovery as a launching pad for an extended analysis of the purpose of the mysterious airshafts, which lead from the Great Pyramid's chambers to its exterior, and of the placement of other Fourth Dynasty pyramids. They were sited, the authors argue, to coincide with the key stars of Orion, a constellation that had religious significance for the Egyptians. Bauval and Gilbert claim that the shafts were pointed directly at important stars in Orion--that is, at those stars as they were placed in ancient times. Using astronomical data about stellar movement, they argue that the Orion stars coincide exactly with the pyramids' positions in approximately 10,400 b.c.--a period the Egyptians called the First Time, when they believed the god Osiris ruled the Earth. The authors also speculate that the mysterious space within the Great Pyramid discovered by Gantenbrink contains the mythical Benben stone, which the Egyptians linked to the creation of the world. The book's contentions are sometimes far-fetched and certainly unlikely to put scholarly controversy about the pyramids to rest. Still, this is an enjoyably radical rethinking of the mystery of the pyramids, with some ingenious arguments made in lucid style. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 14.49 + $ 3.29 media shipping. International shipping available - please use the drop-down menu.

THE PROPHET AND THE ASTRONOMER: A Scientific Journey to the End of Time
by Marcelo Gleiser. A fat B&W photo section plus B&W photos and charts throughout. Condition: NEW 2002 Norton hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first printing. Content: An astrophysicist guides us through the celestial apocalypse, from Revelations to the Big Crunch. From the beginning of time people have looked to the heavens to find order in the universe, to divine meaning and direction from celestial events. The same skies that used to instill fear in our ancient prophets today spawn a rich apocalyptic science for awestruck stargazers. This remarkable book explores the shared quest of prophets and astronomers to explain the strange phenomena of our skies - from the apocalypse foretold in Revelations to modern science's ongoing identification of multiple cataclysmic threats, including the impact of comets and astrois on earthly life. Reviewer: "Gleiser argues that science and religion spring from a single challenge to the human spirit: anxiety over our mortality, which defines us and gives our life meaning. Thus, the different narratives used by science (the Big Crunch) and religion (the apocalypse) to reconcile our finite existence with an apparently infinite universe are not mutually exclusive; they share an awareness of our limited time on Earth, which motivates us to understand the universe and our place in it. While Gleiser offers an extensive discussion of modern scientific cosmology, his account is not overly technical and is easily accessible to the average reader. One measure of how much a reader has enjoyed a book is the number of margin notes and underlined passages that mark the text, and this reviewer's copy has been copiously highlighted in three different colors." [1 copy available]
$ 5.39 + $ 3.29 media shipping.

QUEEN VERNITA MEETS SIR HEATHYBEAN THE ASTRONOMER
by Dawn Menge and Heath Rhoades. Wonderful color illustrations by Bobbie Switzer. Condition: NEW 2010 Outskirts Press large soft cover, no printing given. Content: Sir HeathyBean spends twelve informative months in Queen Vernitas castle in the land of Oceaneers. His visit along with Cora the Teacher is centered on learning everything they can about the solar system. Reviewer: Queen Vernita Meets Sir Heathybean the Astronomer is a highly educational and intellectually stimulating book about the solar system with cute illustrations and plenty of facts about the sun, moon, and planets. This book is intended for children in the nine to twelve- year old age group and it strives to satisfy curiosity about the solar system as well as provide some quick facts about the Earth and its planetary neighbors. Educational children's books are certainly better than the average book, but one fact parents will realize immediately with this book is that the education is taken to an entirely new level. This book presents each of the planets, the sun, the Earth's moon, etc, complete with a long list of facts about each. The education is almost at an adult level and many adults will likely not even know some of the facts presented. For example, how many among us knew that Mars has a reddish color due to iron oxide? [OK, we all knew that one!] Or that Uranus has rings? Or that Saturn has 25 moons? These, and other facts like them, are going to stimulate the intellect of adults just as much as that of small children and it might be a good idea for adults to read the book through at least once, on their own, before reading to their kids." All ages. [1 copy available]
$ 10.19 + $ 3.19 media shipping. International shipping available - please use drop-down menu.

SEEING AND BELIEVING: How the Telescope Opened Our Eyes and Minds to the Heavens
by Richard Panek. Condition: NEW 1999 Penguin soft cover, first pritning. Tiny edge wear. Content: Panek's concise, popularly written history of the telescope is an exciting interstellar voyage that shows how a humble novelty item and maritime tool evolved into a powerful exploratory instrument that has changed our conception of the cosmos. Although Galileo's discovery of Jupiter's moons with a spyglass in 1610 helped demolish the medieval worldview that placed a stationary earth at the center of creation, faulty lenses and frustrating optics hobbled astronomical research for decades. Amateur astronomer William Herschel's discovery of Uranus in 1781 led to his pre-Einsteinian insight that stargazers were not only looking tens of trillions of miles into space, but also penetrating into time past. Yet, incredibly, as recently as the turn of this century most astronomers clung to the belief that the universe consisted of just one galaxyAoursAwith the sun in a central position. In 1996, the Hubble Space Telescope pierced the heavens, resulting in the current estimate of a total of 50 billion galaxies. Panek puts these and other conceptual breakthroughs into clear perspective as he deftly explains how astronomy's interface with photography, spectroscopy, radio and space exploration led to the discovery of quasars, pulsars, black holes, galaxy superclusters and the search for "dark matter." His narrative sometimes bogs down in technical detail, but, nonetheless, it is a delightful intellectual adventure, fleshed out with vivid cameos of innovators like Tycho Brahe, Edwin Hubble and visionary astrophysicist George Ellery Hale, who in 1948 supervised the construction of what was then the world's largest telescope at Mount Palomar, but whose mental illness made him report that he was suffering periodic visits from an elf. [2 copies available]
$ 3.69 + $ 3.09 media shipping.

SOLAR OBSERVING TECHNIQUES (Patrick Moore's Practical Astronomy Series)
by Chris Kitchin. Great B&W photos, drawings, and tables with 25 color plates. Condition: NEW 2002 Springer (UK) Trade Paperback, no printing given. Content: Professor Chris Kitchin provides all the information needed for safe solar observing. The Sun well-suited to amateur astronomers - the Sun is close enough to need little magnification. It also has the practical advantage, unlike every other astronomical object, of being visible in the daytime!During solar eclipses, there are momentary chances to observe and photograph some spectacular and scientifcally interesting sights.Studying the Sun nonetheless needs specialist knowledge. Safety is paramount, as without the right precautions the heat and light of the Sun would instantly blind the observer. But given the right techniques, the Sun is a rewarding subject for amateur astronomers. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 8.89 + $ 3.19 media shipping. Priority shipping available.

SPACE HUMAIZATION SERIES, Vol. 1, No. 1
by various authors. B&W charts. Condition: UNREAD 1979 Institute for the Social Science Study of Space Trade Paperback, no printing given. Light tag removal mark upper front cover corner. Interior perfect. Content: Articles on space and social science: Space Social Science: Suggested Paths to an Emerging Discipline (T. Stephen Cheston); The New Age of Space Industrialization (Jesco von Puttkamer); Power Over the People? Space Industralization and Political Liberty (Jack Salmon); Space Policy and the Public Interest: The Role of Conflict Management Techniques (Charles Chafer); The Policy Process and the Large Scale Space Efforts (John Logsdon); The Anti-Satellite Program: A Threat to Space Humanization (Michael Michaud); Well Being and Privacy in Space: Anticipating Conflicts of Interest (Joan Sieber); and Space Agriculture and the World Food Problem (Brian O'Leary). Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 17.49 + $ 3.19 media shipping. Priority & International shipping available.

STAIRWAYS TO THE STARS: Skywatching in Three Great Ancient Cultures
by Anthony Aveni. B&W photos and detailed drawings of astronomical observation sites. Condition: NEW 1996 John Wiley & Sons hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first edition, first printing. Content: With little or no technology, many ancient societies achieved significant understanding of the movements and cycles of the moon, sun, planets, and stars. The primary difference between their astronomy and ours is that they believed the sky served as a connection between the natural and spiritual world, while our Western view of science dictates an objective, quantifiable, and measurable existence. Using the findings of the last decade, Aveni (Behind the Crystal Ball) examines the astronomy of three ancient societies: Great Britain and Stonehenge; the Mayas and the cult of Venus; and the Incas and the city of Cuzco, built as a vast observatory. Also included is a chapter on "naked eye" observing that allows readers to see the night sky as did our ancient ancestors. This book is not as much a history of astronomy, but a focused survey of the beliefs and astronomy of three ancient cultures and how they compare and contrast with the prevailing way that Western society watches the night sky. [1 copy available]
$ 7.89 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

THE STARGAZERS: A Historical Drama in Two Acts
by Joseph Cowley (The Chrysanthemum Garden). Condition: NEW 2000 Author's Choice Press Trade Paperback, second printing. Tiny edge wear. Content: The planetary observations of the Danish Astronomer Tycho Brahe (1546-1601) provide the data upon which Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) will later base his famous three laws accurately describing the revolutions of the planets around the sun. The play's conflict stems not only from Kepler's urgent need for Tycho's observations to prove his theories, and Tycho's equally urgent desire not to share them before he can use them (with Kepler's help) to prove his own, but also from the utterly different characters of the two men. Kepler is an advocated of the Copernican sun-centered system, Tycho of the Ptolemaic earth-centered system. Kepler's cunning and seeming weakness are pitted against Tycho's arrogance and seeming strength. A stake is the glory and fame for one of the greatest discoveries of all time: how the solar system works. This conflict will keep you on the edge of your seat from first page to last. [1 copy available]
$ 4.50 + $ 3.09 media shipping.

STAR GODS OF THE MAYA: Astronomy in Art, Folklore, and Calendars (The Linda Schele Series in Maya and Pre-Columbian Studies)
by Susan Milbrath. B&W Codex drawings, charts, and photos illustrate. Codex Madrid cover art. Condition: NEW 1999 Univ. of Texas large soft cover, no printing given. Content: Reviewer: "In her brilliant, beautifully researched book, Susan Milbrath uses her extensive knowledge of Mayan art to recreate the structure of the Maya's astronomy and cosmology and, even more importantly, to celebrate their mysterious beauty. Star Gods is a splendid book written by an amazing art historian at the peak of her powers." This book is destined to become a standard reference work on Maya archaeoastronomy.... [It provides] a basic, sound, and utterly comprehensive introduction to the subject of ancient Maya astronomy. [2.5 pounds] Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 20.00 + $ 3.39 media shipping. International shipping by arrangement only.

THE STARRY ROOM: Naked Eye Astronomy in the Intimate Universe
by Fred Schaaf. Foreword by Chet Taymo. B&W photos and detailed drawings. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, 1990 John Wiley & Sons large soft cover, first printing. Problem: pale shelf wear diagonal crease front cover near hinge. Content: With the unaided eye, it is possible to see moons of other planets, a touch of violet in the Great Orion Nebula or surface features of the moon. Beautifully written and illustrated, this primer on naked-eye astronomy reclaims the starry skies for the lay person. Schaaf, who writes on star-gazing for the Old Farmers Almanac and Mother Earth News, was formerly a columnist for Astronomy. With an amateur's enthusiasm and a professional's breadth of knowledge, he describes his firsthand experience watching meteor showers, fireballs, eclipses, comets, planets, rainbows and halo phenomena like mock suns. He dispenses practical advice on the best times and conditions to catch sight of these and other celestial sights. His easygoing essays are full of enchantment both for devoted watchers of the heavens and for those who don't yet gaze upward. [1 copy available]
$ 4.89 + $ 3.29 media shipping.

STONEHENGE DECODED: An astronomer examines one of the great puzzles of the ancient world
by Gerald S. Hawkins in collaboration with John B. White. Two B&W photos and detailed drawings illustrate. Condition: Gently pre-read, if at all, 1993 Barnes & Noble hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), 4th printing. No problems, just perhaps pre-read. Content: Reviewer: "The author is a Professor of Astronomy who chose to investigate Stonehenge. He concluded that Stonehenge was a sophisticated astronomical observatory designed to predict eclipses. The positioning of the stones provides a wealth of information, as does the choice of the site itself. If you can see the alignment, general relationship, and the use of these stones then you will know the reason for the construction. The author, and other astronomers, discovered the 56-year cycle of eclipses by decoding Stonehenge! Stonehenge was constructed from about 1900BC to 1600BC. Appendix B tells how the movement of stones once each year from an initial fixed position will predict accurately every important lunar event for hundreds of years. This computer would need resetting about once every 300 years by advancing the stones by one space. Mankind generally used the cycle of the moon as a unit of timekeeping. The most significant Stonehenge positions line up to point to some unique sun of moon position (Figure 12). Chapter 7 tells how they used an IBM 704 computer in 1961 to plot the Stonehenge positions (120 pairs of points) and calculated where the lines would hit the sky (p.105). Chapter 9 asks if the Aubrey holes can be proved to have been used as a computer? No, but it is the most reasonable solution proposed so far. This entertaining and educational book tells about the author's investigations and conclusions. It is a classic science book for the general reader." [Of course, some of this information may be a bit dated, but it is fascinating.] [1 copy available]
$ 3.59 + $ 3.29 media shipping.

THEORIES OF THE WORLD From Antiquity to the Copernican Revolution (Second Revised Edition)
by Michael J. Crowe (Notre Dame). B&W era photos, era drawings, and charts illustrate. Condition: NEW 2001 Dover Trade Paperback, second revised edition, no printing given. Tiny edge wear. Content: Newly revised edition of Professor Crowe’s accessible, enlightening book recreates the change from an earth-centered to a sun-centered conception of the solar system. The work is organized around a hypothetical debate: Given the evidence available in 1615, which system (Ptolemaic, Copernican, Tychonic, etc.) was most deserving of support? [1 copy available]
$ 7.59 + $ 3.09 media shipping. International shipping available.

A THIN COSMIC RAIN: Particles From Outer Space
by Michael W. Friedlander. B&W photos, drawings, and charts illustrate. Condition: NEW 2000 Harvard Press hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), no printing given. This appears to be an update or revision of the previous title of "Cosmic Rays." Content: Cosmic rays have been an energetic arena for astrophysics research for the past century, which history physicist Friedlander traces. A theme of his story is the technology of detection, for snaring a proton moving nearly at light speed is "no mean trick." Although early devices, such as cloud chambers, have given way to electronic detectors sent into space and giant neutrino detectors installed deep underground, their purpose has all along been to identify the source of cosmic rays. Although a consensus prevails among the experts that they originate somewhere in the Milky Way (along with a small proportion from the Sun), Friedlander underscores that some must be coming from the universe at large. Mysterious as well is what creates them (supernovas are strong candidates), and the drive to find out makes cosmic rays most productive of Ph.D.s and Nobel Prizes. More prosaically, we can thank and blame cosmic rays for two things: they produce the carbon 14 isotope that revolutionized archaeological dating; and they add measurably to each person's radiation dose. A detailed, informative survey of the topic. [1 copy available]
$ 10.59 + $ 3.29 media shipping.

WATCHERS OF THE STARS: The Scientific Revolution
by Patrick Moore. B&W photos & charts plus wonderful color plates, photos. Condition: Gently pre-read 1974 Putnam's hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first printing. No problems, just pre-read. Content: This is the story of the greatest upheaval in science of the last twenty centuries - and it all began with Copernicus in 1543. This book provides the lives and contributions of Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler, Galileo, Newton and others. Excellent. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 6.89 + $ 3.39 media shipping.