Taking the Stars: Celestial Navigation from Argonauts to Astronauts [Hardcover]

Peter Ifland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1998 | ISBN-10: 1575240955 | ISBN-13: 978-1575240954

An early astrolabe, its name derived from Greek words for "star" (astron) and "to take" (lambanein), was an instrument with which a navigator "took the stars" to determine a vessel's position in the great expanse of the sea. From the simple wooden kamál developed by ancient Arab mariners to the modern navigator's electronic global positioning system, Taking the Stars: Celestial Navigation from Argonauts to Astronauts$I traces the long path of ingenious inventions developed for celestial navigation. Renowned collector Peter Ifland applies his talent for clear, engaging prose to describe the incremental improvements, world-changing advances, and well-intentioned failures that have marked the evolution of celestial navigation instruments for over 1,000 years. Two panoramas converge in these lavishly illustrated pages. One is a parade of wonderful--and often, wonderfully clever--devices for celestial navigation: among others, the kamál, the cross-staff and back-staff, the astrolabe, and the marvelous variations on the divided celestial circle--the half-circle, quadrant, quintant, sextant, octant, and their kin. The other panorama is a carefully delineated roll-call of the great craftsmen and inventors of celestial navigation instruments--the likes of Thomas Godfrey, Captain John Davis, John Dollond, Edward Nairne, John Hadley, and Jesse Ramsden.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Peter Ifland has produced a wonderfully readable and remarkably thorough account of the history of sextants and other instruments designed for celestial navigation." -Deborah Jean Warner, Curator, Physical Sciences, National Museum of American History.

"[This] book is a tremendous addition to nautical history. . . . The experienced navigator will gain new insight and the novice will undoubtedly be awed by the beauty of the instruments and Ifland's lucid explanation of the process of navigating by the stars." -- (Twain Braden, Ocean Navigator)

From the Author

[Taking the Stars: Celestial Navigation from Argonauts to Astronauts] is written for anyone who has ever held a sextant in his or her hand, either on the water or in the air. My overt purpose is to record the history of the development of hand-held celestial navigation instruments, but I have also tried to convey some of the romance of these ingenious instruments that have taken sailors and aviators into the farthest reaches of the Earth and brought them safely home again. The challenge has been to bring something for everyone - from the rank beginner to the most experienced navigator, for the avid collector and for the expert historian and museum curator.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 222 pages
• Publisher: Krieger Pub Co (November 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1575240955
• ISBN-13: 978-1575240954
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,642,631 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully put together book about navigation, October 7, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Taking the Stars: Celestial Navigation from Argonauts to Astronauts (Hardcover)

Today the very idea of using a sextant seems crazy when you can just switch on your GPS and be told where on the planet you are. This book takes you through some of the scientific instruments used to find your position on the earth. The author has taken the time not only to display excellent photos of the instruments but also describes their use. If you have an interest in either astronomy, celestial navigation or even scientific instruments I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Splendid, stunning and highly informative, July 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Taking the Stars: Celestial Navigation from Argonauts to Astronauts (Hardcover)

I have spent days savoring this delicious work. Ifland has set a new standard against which all subsequent instrument books must be judged. The illustrations are magnificent; the text is lucid and I particularly like the fact that, in many cases, instructions are given for actual use of the instrument being discussed. Thank you, Peter Ifland!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must For Sextant Freaks, July 27, 2005

By 

Wolfgang Koeberer (Frankfurt, Germany) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Taking the Stars: Celestial Navigation from Argonauts to Astronauts (Hardcover)

There are a few books on instruments used for nautical astronomy that you must have if you are interested in this field: Mörzer Bruijns "The Cross Staff", Stimson " The Mariner`s Astrolabe", Albuquerque "Instruments of Navigation" and Cotter "A History of the Navigator`s Sextant". This last book - although full of facts - is sadly lacking in good illustrations. "Taking the Stars" has both: a thorough and detailed history of instruments used for making astronomical observations right up to the latest developments and beautiful illustrations that show in detail what the text is talking about. It is rather rare that one finds such a well informed text in a book which can easily pass as a "coffee table book". My first copy of this book was destroyed by water; I ordered a new copy the next day.