Customer Reviews

Sun, Moon and Earth (Wooden Books)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was looking for something that wouldn't be too technical to give an overview (but not too superficial) about the movement of the sun, moon and earth. This was it! It talks about solstices and equinoxes, eclipses, lunar rhythms, cycles (long cycles and shorter ones), time/tide, the dance of the moon, wobbles, etc. It was just enough to provide a foundation of understanding and appreciation for what is going on around us.

Sun, Moon and Earth by Robin Heath is a short introduction to understanding the relation between the three celestial bodies in the title. The astronomy and geometry are written for a layman's level, without being too dry or technical, but not childish either. Heath details how the earth moves about the sun, with seasons and the calendar, as well as two types of lunar cycles, equinoxes, solstices, eclipses, etc. The book details how our calendar works and offers some interesting alternatives. There's even a short chapter about Stonehenge, which can be further explored in another volume by the same publisher.
I found it fascinating how much megalithic astronomers knew about the sun and moon cycles, especially the geometry, but then again, they didn't have much else to do and light pollution was almost non-existent then. Imagine what the sky looked like in 3000 BC! The book is full of cool illustrations and tables and overall is well put together.

Beautifully done. This book explains the strange coincidence of the sun and the moon seen from earth. It should be read by everyone who takes the sky for granted so that they can appreciate just how special our location is.

I really wanted to like this book. It's a beautiful object in its own humble way. The drawings have a very nice classic feel about them. All the books in this series are 64 pages in length with each page dedicated to a brief summary of the concept being presented. The problem is that some of the concepts don't easily fit into such rigid parameters. There's some valuable information here but it's presented in such a cursory way that most readers will walk away feeling frustrated that they're missing a lot.

On a positive note, perhaps this book will serve as an appetizer that will lead readers to search for other books that provide a fuller understanding.

Provides more than just "pure scientific data" on the heavenly bodies, this volume explores the interesting relationships between them. For instance, the question is posed: why is the moon in just the correct position with just the correct size to cause the "eclipse effect"?

This book gives plenty of mathmatical support, but you can read it through even if you have just a cursory exposure to the math and still be fascinated by the findings.

I was just checking the math on page 3 on the "Great Pyramid, Earth/Moon" geometry and found much of it to check out ok but there is one statement that the perimeter of a square with one side equal to the diameter of the Earth (4 x 7920 miles = 31680) equals the perimeter of a circle with a radius of the combined radii of the Earth and the Moon (3960 + 1080 = 5040 miles)and using 2xPIxr I get 38453 miles which really isn't equal at all. I found that you had to define the radius of the Earth as unity (1) and then using the Earth/Moon ratios that fall out from that would give a result where the circle is squared and the numbers do add up. That should have been explained more clearly.

Then when I compute 11!-7! I get 399170 on my calculator and when I ask Google to compute it for me they return that same answer. But on page 3 the author somehow gets 7920, which is amazingly, the diameter of the earth in miles. 11x10x9x8 does = 7920 which is amazing enough. Maybe it is the difference between (11!-7!) versus (11!) - (7!). I can't find any online factorial math tutorials to explain to me whether there is a difference. I wish the book was more clear on this. (update: I think it is a typo... if he meant to say 11!/7! all is well and good).


The book is filled with all sorts of little drawings and interesting tidbits and I am pretty sure that I am going to have all kinds of fun double checking this and verifying that....

Well worth the 8 bucks or so that Amazon is asking.

all of these wooden books series are so impressive.......none of these books are very expensive, 10$ at most, small and to the point...i am so glad i've bought most of them!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love it for it's simplicity. I 10-year-old child can read this book, yet most adults know very little about the Sun, Moon & Earth. If you have an interest in astronomy this book is an excellent starting point. My knowledge of astronomy is quite extensive, but I was really able to appreciate this delightful piece of work. You may also want to check out: Galactic Alignment: The Transformation of Consciousness According to Mayan, Egyptian, and Vedic Traditions, and The History and Practice of Ancient Astronomy.

This book is an excellent primer for understanding the basics of our little corner of the universe, and by extension, how ancient people perceived our place in it. Can't recommend it enough, it is as short as it is illuminating, and will only increase your curiosity for our universe and respect for our ancestors.