Synopsis
Throughout history people have sought ways in which to "map" the heavens, often in the form of very beautiful documents. In this highly illustrated book, the author reveals some of the ways in which the structure of the universe has been conceived, explained and depicted. With examples ranging from the Stone Age to the Space Age - ancient observatories, the angelic visions of Dante, images from Copernican revolution, the rationalized heavens of Newton and Flamsteed, through to modern deep space technology - the book offers a challenging exploration of the tension between rigorous scientific knowledge and the continuing search for cause, certainty and harmony in the universe.
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Reviews
Patterned after his Image of the World (1994), an album of historical maps of Earth, the latest Whitfield looks up to the stars, as celestial illustrators through the ages have depicted them. Starting from chiseled Babylonian representations of the Zodiac, Whitfield proceeds to the illumination-type pictures of Ptolemaic spheres, dating from medieval Europe, before devoting most of the book to the period from Copernicus through the mid^-nineteenth century. By that time, cartographic sobriety had banished pictures from astronomical maps, but only after a bacchanal of color and fancy reigned as figures of classical constellations--and some weird innovations like royal coats of arms--overwhelmed the stars. The telescope gradually gained the upper hand over the palette, and Whitfield's text ably records the advance of scientific accuracy over astrologic artistry. Of his score of images, most come from the British Library, a sponsor of this colorful work that should have particular appeal to map lovers. Gilbert Taylor
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The Mapping of the Heavens
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Pomegranate Communications, 1995
ISBN 10: 0876544758
ISBN 13: 9780876544754
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The Mapping of the Heavens
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The Mapping of the Heavens
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ISBN 10: 0876544758
ISBN 13: 9780876544754
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The Mapping of the Heavens
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Pomegranate Communications, Incorporated, 2003
ISBN 10: 0876544758
ISBN 13: 9780876544754
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The Mapping of the Heavens
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THE MAPPING OF THE HEAVENS
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Mapping of the Heavens
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The Mapping of the Heavens
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ISBN 10: 0876544758
ISBN 13: 9780876544754
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