Stories in the Stars

Stories in the Stars: An Atlas of Constellations is an imaginative and whimsical exploration of each of the night sky's 88 constellations: a playful and stunningly illustrated compendium of the animals, objects, mythical creatures, gods, goddesses and ancient signs of the zodiac that have all given their stories to the stars. Travelling the skies from the northern to the southern hemispheres, we explore the constellations in all their blazing glory. Leaping between centuries, cultures and traditions, we discover the astronomers who first spied them, the religions that worshipped them and the myriad different names and shapes they have been given throughout history and across the globe. We hear of Andromeda, the original maiden in distress who awaits her hero on a horse; of Draco, the tormented Dragon, raging across the sky; of Aquilus, The Eagle, King of the Birds, - golden, ferocious and fast; we hear of Aries, the curly horned Ram headbutting us into the year, bringing Spring, light and the equinox; and of Aquarius in a watery kingdom high up in the heavens, swimming with slippery fish and strange sea beasts. This epic but epigrammatic journey joins the dots between science, history, mythology, and astronomy that are mapped across this celestial space, and brings the social, literary, and cultural associations of these collections of stars to light.