This is a clear, vivid text with charts and maps showing the positions of the constellations the year round.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Written by the author of Curious George, this hefty guide to stars, constellations, and planets in the night sky was first published in 1952 and revised several times, though the current book is evidently the first to be called the second edition. A star on the jacket proclaims “updated star and solar system information.” Inside, additions include an introductory note on Pluto, which explains the difference between a planet and a dwarf planet, as well as a paragraph on the Kuiper Belt. Information on the solar system and the asteroid belt has been revised in the light of Pluto’s reclassification. In addition, the planetary tables have been updated through 2016. The bibliography was not updated, however, and it includes no books from the last 10 years. Still, the new edition is recommended to replace old ones in astronomy collections.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Review
"The Stars is the best book available for its purpose. It is also a brilliant example of the combined use of art and writing in bringing science to the layman." Saturday Review
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More About the Author
Hans Augusto Rey was born in Hamburg, Germany in 1898. As a child, he spent much of his free time in that city's famous Hagenbeck Zoo drawing animals. After serving in the army during World War I, he studied philology and natural science at the University of Hamburg. He then married Margret Rey and they moved to Montmartre for four years. The manuscript for the first Curious George books was one of the few items the Reys carried with them on their bicycles when they escaped from Paris in 1940. Eventually, they made their way to the United States, and Curious George was published in 1941. Curious George has been published in many languages, including French, German, Japanese, Afrikaans, and Norwegian. Additional Curious George books followed, as well as such other favorites as CECILY G. AND THE NINE MONKEYS and FIND THE CONSTELLATIONS.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
89 of 90 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
One winter night during junior high, I glanced up at the night sky and out of the corner of my eye I saw a small silverly cloud. A closer look revealed a small cluster of six tiny stars. "Hmmm," I said to myself,"I wonder what that is?" I remembered an old book I had on my shelf called "The Stars." So went and after a quick search, realized that the cluster was called the Pleiades and they are part of Taurus. "Cool," I thought, and I sat down to read the whole book through.
This is my all-time favorite book from my youth. I have many, many memeories of me and my dad spending hours up on the roof at night, looking at this book through our red-painted flashlight, naming the stars and tracing the constellations. We did this at least once a week for several years, during all seasons. Even to this day, almost 40 years later, I look up in the sky and immediately see old and comforting friends that haven't changed since then. And I feel like I know where I am.
Then during college, I took a photocopy of the book to Kenya, where I lived for a semester in the bush. This time, Kenya being on the equator, I had the pleasure of meeting new friends; the constellations of the Southern Hemisphere. Way cool.
I have given this book as a gift to friends, children of friends, just about anyone who I have seen glancing into the nightime sky.
So now I just bought myself a brand new copy; I'm going to Sri Lanka to help with disaster relief and, alas, my original cloth-bound hardcover 1962 edition is just to old to make the journey with me. However, I am very eager to re-aquaint myself with those friends I first made back in the African sky.
I have to say that Rey's method for showing the constellations outdoes everyone elses: Gemeni looks like two stick figures (note the cover illustration), Orion a hunter, Scorpio a scorpion, etc. Every other illustration I have ever seen has shown the constellations as apparently random lines between random points. This makes it nearly impossible to see the constellations for what they are. And I don't understand why other publication such as magazines and newspapers don't use Rey's system. Copyright issues, perhaps?
This book is an amazing gift that will inspire you and/or your kids, and it's a great way to spend time and bond with him/her/them. I take it whenever I travel, and I always find it is a great way to get people, young and old, curious, excited, and interacting. I can't speak highly enough.
This is my all-time favorite book from my youth. I have many, many memeories of me and my dad spending hours up on the roof at night, looking at this book through our red-painted flashlight, naming the stars and tracing the constellations. We did this at least once a week for several years, during all seasons. Even to this day, almost 40 years later, I look up in the sky and immediately see old and comforting friends that haven't changed since then. And I feel like I know where I am.
Then during college, I took a photocopy of the book to Kenya, where I lived for a semester in the bush. This time, Kenya being on the equator, I had the pleasure of meeting new friends; the constellations of the Southern Hemisphere. Way cool.
I have given this book as a gift to friends, children of friends, just about anyone who I have seen glancing into the nightime sky.
So now I just bought myself a brand new copy; I'm going to Sri Lanka to help with disaster relief and, alas, my original cloth-bound hardcover 1962 edition is just to old to make the journey with me. However, I am very eager to re-aquaint myself with those friends I first made back in the African sky.
I have to say that Rey's method for showing the constellations outdoes everyone elses: Gemeni looks like two stick figures (note the cover illustration), Orion a hunter, Scorpio a scorpion, etc. Every other illustration I have ever seen has shown the constellations as apparently random lines between random points. This makes it nearly impossible to see the constellations for what they are. And I don't understand why other publication such as magazines and newspapers don't use Rey's system. Copyright issues, perhaps?
This book is an amazing gift that will inspire you and/or your kids, and it's a great way to spend time and bond with him/her/them. I take it whenever I travel, and I always find it is a great way to get people, young and old, curious, excited, and interacting. I can't speak highly enough.
88 of 89 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
H. A. Rey is best known for his "Curious George" stories, but he was a scientist by profession and he also wrote two books on stargazing for children. If you have a child who is interested in the stars, this book is delightful and highly readable. And if YOU are interested in the stars, dont hesitate to get it for yourself! Rey has a unique way of showing the constellations: he actually went through the trouble of drawing lines between the stars of a constellation to form a meaningful picture - so Gemini (the twins) actually looks like a pair of twins, Cetus (the whale) looks like a whale, and so forth. A word of warning: to form these pictures, Rey often had to rely on dim stars. Don't expect to see them from the city! Access to a dark country sky is essential to get the most out of this book. That said, "The Stars" makes the mastery of stargazing accessible and fun for children and adults alike.
35 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is great, allow me to say again it is great. I noticed it used as a reference book at M.I.T. and I was intrigued. I had thought it was a book for children, and it is. But, it is also a book for anyone with a desire to learn to identify heavenly objects. If you've a beginning interest in astronomy buy this book, it's reader friendly.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Awesome!
I love this book - it is so helpful if you are just interested in being able to navigate the stars a little better. I recommend it.
Published 2 months ago by asdf
Just great!
Wow. The condition of this book was perfect! I was impressed. Love that it is a hardback, and since we already have H.A. Read more
Published 2 months ago by M. McAllister
Arrived on time just as promised.
It was carefully packaged and in good shape. I could tell care was taken in packing it. I liked that. I would buy from them again.
Published 3 months ago by Susan S.
Would-be Amateur Astronomers
To date, I have given away over a dozen copies of this book. Although it was obviously written in a style easily read by grade schoolers, it is not unfitting for even the elderly! Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mr. Bob
WHOA! Not your run-of-the-mill stars book!
Ok, wow. When my kids got a telescope for Christmas, we started going through stargazing books. Namely because I knew nothing about the stars and we were spending way too much... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Will Riddle
THe Best Introduction to Observational Astronomy
The Stars by H.A. Rey is a classic that is unsurpassed in it's accomplishment of it's intention. It is an introduction to observational astronomy. Read more
Published 4 months ago by PeckG
The Stars
This is a very simple and full explination of stars and constilations laid out in laymans terms. Great for capturing the imaginations of children of all ages.
Published 4 months ago by peseidler
Brilliant!!!
I've used this to teach high school students about the 4 seasons ,in addition to my own use for stargazing. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Friar
Still Good After All These Years
I purchased this edition to replace my well-worn copy which I have had for 45 years.
I was delighted to find that there were many updates such as planetary information... Read more
I was delighted to find that there were many updates such as planetary information... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Conchkiddoc
definitely the layman's BEST guide!
get started star gazing with this book. It is sooo user friendly and educational. No wonder it is a huge classic!
Published 14 months ago by Erica
Inside This Book
(learn more)
First Sentence:
THIS BOOK is meant for people who want to know just enough about the stars to be able to go out at night and find the major constellations, for the mere pleasure of it. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
zero hour circle, check tables pages, sky globe, calendar charts, modern constellation, rising northeast, ground haze, sidereal day, large constellation, fainter stars, celestial pole, hour circles, sidereal time, solar time, pole star, celestial equator, brighter one, solar day Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Milky Way, Big Dipper, Water Carrier, Great Square, Southern Fish, Big Dog, Serpent Holder, Southern Cross, Great Bear, Little Dog, Andromeda Nebula, Wet Region, Alpha Centauri, Summer Triangle, Virgin's Diamond, Greater Universe New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
THIS BOOK is meant for people who want to know just enough about the stars to be able to go out at night and find the major constellations, for the mere pleasure of it. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
zero hour circle, check tables pages, sky globe, calendar charts, modern constellation, rising northeast, ground haze, sidereal day, large constellation, fainter stars, celestial pole, hour circles, sidereal time, solar time, pole star, celestial equator, brighter one, solar day Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Milky Way, Big Dipper, Water Carrier, Great Square, Southern Fish, Big Dog, Serpent Holder, Southern Cross, Great Bear, Little Dog, Andromeda Nebula, Wet Region, Alpha Centauri, Summer Triangle, Virgin's Diamond, Greater Universe New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 6
books:
See all 6 books this book cites
30
books
cite this book:
See all 30 books citing this book
- Discover the Stars by Richard Berry in Back Matter
- Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning (Dover Books on Astronomy) by Richard H. Allen in Back Matter
- Star Atlas by Rh Value Publishing in Back Matter
- Contemporary Astronomy (Saunders Golden Sunburst Series) by Jay M. Pasachoff in Back Matter
- Astronomical Calendar by Guy V. Ottewell in Back Matter
See all 6 books this book cites
- Observing Handbook and Catalogue of Deep-Sky Objects by Christian B. Luginbuhl on page 3, and Back Matter
- City Kids by Sue Haven on page 199, and Back Matter
- Seeing in the Dark : How Backyard Stargazers Are Probing Deep Space and Guarding Earth from Interplanetary Peril by Timothy Ferris on page 8, and Back Matter
- Sticks, Stones, & Shadows: Building the Egyptian Pyramids by Martin Isler in Back Matter
- Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom by Leonard S. Marcus on page 359
See all 30 books citing this book
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