History, Artistry, and Cartography
- Serves as an extensive reference book for map collectors, amateur astronomers, and historians of astronomy and art
- Written in non-technical language accessible to anyone who wants to learn more about celestial mapping and astronomical history
Explore the beauty and awe of the heavens through the rich celestial prints and star atlases offered in this third edition book. The author traces the development of celestial cartography from ancient to modern times, describes the relationships between different star maps and atlases, and relates these notions to our changing ideas about humanity's place in the universe. Also covered in this book are more contemporary cosmological ideas, constellation representations, and cartographic advances.
The text is enriched with 226 images (141 in colour) from actual, antiquarian celestial books and atlases, each one with an explanation of unique astronomical and cartographic features. This never-before-available hardcover edition includes two new chapters on pictorial style maps and celestial images in art, as well as over 50 new images. Additionally, the colour plates are now incorporated directly into the text, providing readers with a vibrant, immersive look into the history of star maps.
The book contains appendices with numerous resources for map collectors, such as contact information for dealers and auction houses, a supplementary reference catalogue of important people in cartography, indices of major constellation atlases, and a thorough glossary.
The newest edition features two new groundbreaking chapters, one on celestial pictorial maps for the collector, and the other on the use of celestial images in art for the amateur astronomer and art history buff.
The author Nick Kanas has been an amateur astronomer for over 50 years. He has collected antiquarian celestial maps for over 30 years and has given talks on the history of celestial cartography to amateur and professional groups.
