Author: Nick Kanas Softcover: 382 pages With the construction of
the International Space Station, and new plans for manned
missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond, there is renewed interest
in the heavens. An ever-increasing number of people are
fascinated with the science of space and are becoming amateur
astronomers. The beauty and awe generated by the celestial void
capture our imagination and delight our aesthetic sense.
Antiquarian map societies are prospering, and celestial maps are
now viewed as a specialty of map collecting. This book traces
the history of celestial cartography and relates this history to
the changing ideas of man’s place in the universe and to
advances in map-making. Reproductions of maps from antiquarian
celestial atlases and prints, many previously unpublished in
book form, enrich the text, and a legend accompanies each
illustration to explain its astronomical and cartographic
features. Also included in the book are discussions of non-
European celestial maps and chapters on early Ame