Director of the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles and keeper of the monthly Rambling through the Skies column in Sky & Telescope Magazine, E.C. Krupp is also a prolific author and well recognized expert on ancient astronomy. His writing style is unique and entertaining, and his passion for the subject matter is always apparent. Beyond the Blue Horizon presents a huge number of myths, legends, and stories about the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars from a wide variety of cultures throughout history. Dr. Krupp then explains how cultural and environmental characteristics or beliefs helped shape the myths and how ancient civilizations attempted to understand themselves and the world around them by looking at the sky. An absolute must for anyone interested in the stories told about the sky!

This book presents The Constellations by Eratosthenes (first/second century C.E.) and The Poetic Astronomy by Hyginus (first century B.C.E), the only surviving works which describe the constellation myths surrounding the original 48 constellations recognized by classical astronomers. The Constellations has never been translated into English before, and both works are a tremendous resource for discovering the background and mythology for each of the oldest known constellations. The author, who holds a doctorate in classical studies, also provides commentary on each constellation which adds further insight into each myth.

This book can be considered the authority on the history and legends behind the names of stars and constellations throughout many cultures and time periods. In almost any book that describes the meaning of a star or the origin of a constellation myth, you will surely find this one listed in the bibliography as a source. Star Names is the result of extensive research into the astronomical writings and lore of an incredible number of civilizations, including the Chinese, Arabian, Roman, and many others which are more obscure. Sometimes the book can be a little confusing to read, and it seems to be meant more as a reference book that shouldn't be read straight through from cover to cover.