New Stars for Old

by Marc Read

BBC Sky at Night Magazine's Book of the Month, November 2013!

"In this delightful and erudite mixture of fiction and fact, Marc Read imagines being a fly on the wall of the history of astronomy with fascinating results." (Matt Ridley, author of The Rational Optimist)

"A fresh and imaginative introduction to some important early thinkers." (Ursula Coope, Professor of Ancient Philosophy, Oxford)

"In an enjoyable series of fictional letters and bright vignettes, Read reminds us that Aristotle, Ptolemy and Kepler were real before they became legends, young before they became old, and sociable human beings before they were turned into detached ideas" (Rebekah Higgitt, Curator at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich)

"Delightfully written, with an imaginative, informative, light-touch style, New Stars for Old really brings the history of astronomy alive." (Dr John Taylor, Head of Philosophy, Rugby School and Visiting Fellow, Institute of Education)

New Stars for Old is a collection of twenty short stories, each dealing with a specific character or episode from the history of astronomy. Accompanied by historical notes, the book covers the changing relationships between science, astrology, religion and general intellectual culture from Aristotle to Newton through the eyes of central and peripheral figures.

Genres: Fiction

272 pages, Hardcover

First published July 9, 2013

About the author

Marc lives with his wife and children in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where he teaches philosophy and physics at the city's Royal Grammar School. Hobbies include reading plays and poetry, taking his motorbike out for tours of Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, and watching lots of old movies.

Reviews

[Tora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely get this!

I downloaded the sample chapter last night and meant to take a quick look, but then just read the entire thing.

(sample chapter up on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com, links below:

Amazon.co.uk link to New Stars for Old

Amazon.com link to New Stars for Old )

Marc Read does a great job of bringing his astronomer to life while adding in bits and pieces of the science involved. The first line of the introduction is "Science is done by people" and that is just what Read portrays so well. And the science is explained well enough that the lay person can understand it easily without much extra thought.

I especially love the 'Notes' section (which follows each chapter) -- Read gives us a summary of what in the fictional chapter is real and a bit of historical background. I like to know what in my historical fiction is real and what is fiction! It also helps to set the context of the fictional scene and adds a lot to the fun of the tale.

I'm really looking forward to reading the final version of the whole book!

If you're a fan of astronomy or science generally and would love a peek at what the lives of famous astronomers like Aristotle might have been like, definitely get this book! You'll learn a bit more about the science of astronomy completely painlessly as well. :-)

[Brian Clegg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have said many times that there must be a way to combine fiction and popular science – to get a message across and provide a great story to enjoy as well. But it is a horribly difficult thing to do, as the many failures fallen by the wayside have shown. In New Stars for Old, Marc Read takes the most original approach to this I have ever seen, and it holds out real promise to deliver on the dream.

In his introduction, Read points out that science is done by people, and as such we can’t really separate the achievements of science from the lives and times of the people making the discoveries. This is true, though his suggestion that the people are usually ignored applies more to textbooks than popular science – many popular science books spend a fair amount of time on the scientists and their lives. Read takes this one stage further, though, by giving us a series of fictional vignettes of the lives of people who have carried astronomy a step forward. Their scientific achievements come into it, but only incidentally. Each piece of fiction is then followed by a page of notes, which explain what is real and what is fiction, sometimes adding a tiny bit about the science.

There is a danger in taking this approach of producing a hilarious parody of a cartoon life. You could imagine a physics equivalent where we have a dialogue something like this:

‘Good morning, Michael. What are you doing today?’

‘Well, Mrs Faraday, or wife as I should call you, today I thought I would invent electromagnetism. Unless it’s sunny, in which case I shall take a stroll in the park. Or as us northerners would say, despite years living in the south, “a stroll in’t park”.’

Thankfully, the real thing is nothing like this. Read’s vignettes are well described, giving an effective picture of the time, and the science is introduced in as natural a way as is possible, though even here it can occasionally be a little stilted.

In terms of the idea and the broad direction, this is a five star book. But I do have some issues. The indirect nature of the science storytelling means that it isn’t always really very clear what it’s about. I know what Aristotle’s version of astronomy was like – but I struggled to see it in the occasional mentions amongst the rather lovey dovey description of the big man’s home life. It really needed more time on the science. Also, the downside of a series of vignettes is that the whole thing does not flow at all. It is, as they say in the fiction world, episodic in the extreme.

For me, the selection of scenes was too biassed to the early period. There are just too many medievals making minor steps forward. I wrote a book about Roger Bacon, so I am interested in the period, but still found the procession of King Roger II, Thomas Aquinas, Richard Swineshead, Nicolas Oresme, Cardinal Bessarion, Regiomontanus became more than a little dull. Newton is the final person covered, when arguably most of the really interesting astronomy was only just beginning. (Perhaps the rest are being saved for a sequel.)

Despite the fiction not really keeping my interest, particularly with the medievals (I had to resist flicking forward and just reading the notes), I still think this is a very brave and worthwhile venture. I think the format could well deliver that gold at the end of the rainbow that is popular-science-as-fiction – but more work is required to get the balance right.

Review first published on www.popularscience.co.uk and reproduced with permission

[Nicolle · Rating 3 out of 5]

New Stars for Old is unlike anything I have ever read before. I think I can honestly say it is a truly unique novel. I received this from Marc Read through Goodreads First Reads and it was a pleasantly surprising journey through the history of astronomy.

I love the idea for this book and I commend the author for coming up with such an innovative way to educate people about astronomy. This book is set out in chronological order which is a relief, as I don't think my brain would have survived if it wasn't, as it wasn't the easiest read ever. Each chapter was either in the form of normal 'story mode' or letters, and I did like this variety but sometimes found it confusing as I often didn't know what was going on. This leads me onto the main negative about this novel...

In this timeline, each section didn't last very long and therefore I never really got the chance to get into the story or understand and relate to the characters. At one point there were several chapters in a row following the Brahe family, and this for me was needed more often. This was by far the best part of the whole book as I got to know the characters more, however I would have still wanted a more in depth tale. I think that Marc's idea for this book as I have said is brilliant, but I personally would have published a few books, each one depicting a certain time in the history of astronomy in more detail. This would have held my attention more and made reading more enjoyable.

Don't let this put you off though. This is a great book and I have learnt so much about astronomy which I wouldn't have otherwise known. It is interesting to get to know the personalities of the scientists and mathematicians behind the theories. The final chapter on Isaac Newton was especially enlightening for me.

[Janette Skinner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was given to me by the writer to read and review. I found it original and very interesting. I enjoyed the feeling of the mixture of factual sections complimented by the fiction. Then, helpfully there were explanations to sort out what the actual achievements of the Astronomers and the Mathematicians were, and the possibly not quite fiction of the people portrayed. The short chapters kept my interest and the writing is technically flawless as far as I could see.

The characters are brought to life by the fictional description of their home lives and loves, and the identification of their teachers put the progress of discovery in some sort of historical perspective.

The use of modern language and slang was amusing used in ancient times situations but Aristotle calling Herpyllis ‘honey’ may have been a bit much.(I have now been informed by the writer that this was a common term of endearment.)

My favourite chapter in the book is chapter twelve on Christopher Columbus, of whom plenty has been written over the centuries. However, this is very different and plausible and I certainly learned some more about him as he rehearses his pitch for the royal patronage, talking about instruments of celestial navigation and books written by Regiomontanus. Unfortunately in the real interview he was criticised for his questionable morals, and ripped apart on the fine details of his plan, although in the end his funding was approved.

This is a fine attempt to bring history to life, full of facts, geniuses, and discoveries, well worth a read.

[Rabid Readers Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

As vignettes in history, New Stars for Old: Stories from the History of Astronomy is a success. Read presents 20 very readable stories for a modern audience. Savvy readers will take away the “themes” as they read each story. Each story has a specific purpose and aim that is clearly laid out within the narrative. Read has possibly found the perfect way to convey principles and ideas to a less than scientific audience (like this reader). All of the stories are very unique in style and perspective. As a reader who has read much over the scope of fiction, this sort of novel is something not seen before. Read includes notes after each chapter that include pertinent historical fact regarding the figure highlighted as well as ancillary figures in the story.

Read’s writing style is very clean. He uses modern euphemisms and endearments in his dialogue but keeps the action and setting in keeping with the time period in which the characters live. One of the more unique and interesting stories illustrates ambition and stars Christopher Columbus appealing to the government for grant funding. This snippet in imagined history is interesting, educational and fun to read.

Read’s goal seems to be to educate the masses and as such this novel will be a fantastic success. While I wouldn’t label New Stars for Old: Stories from the History of Astronomy a must read it is certainly interesting and well worth the time. These are quick and easy stories that will make a good break while waiting in line at the bank or a doctors office.

[Elliott Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

It must be made clear at the outset of this review that I know very little of astronomy. For all I know, the universe could (as Bernard says in Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia) be expanding, be contracting, or standing on one leg whilst singing ‘When Father Painted the Parlour’. If there are scientific inaccuracies in this book, fundamental or trivial, they passed me by, and even if they didn’t, I wouldn’t consider it my place to point them out.

Allow me to elaborate: I don’t have the first idea what a quasar is beyond that it’s a pretty big thing that occasionally pops up somewhere on a pretty big scale. However, I do appreciate the effort of people who are trying to find out what they are because it may, one day, make my life a little more comfortable to lead. In the same way that quantum mechanics (a pretty small thing that occasionally pops up somewhere on a pretty small scale) might allow me to send a text message.

Is that all clear? Good. Now let’s begin.

In my experience, there is only thing worse in the field of learning than being made to feel ignorant and undereducated: to be condescended to. For someone to take you gently by the hand and show you the wonders of a particular field of study without getting bogged down in all that dry and silly academia written by fusty old professors with more letters in their post-nominals than their actual names.

BBC2 is currently making this something of a speciality with programmes about the Ancient Greeks being generally rather Ancient and Greek, Symphonies being wonderfully Symphonic, and Space being really quite… Spacious, thus making itself both intellectually, as well as numerically, half as great as BBC4.

The fact of the matter is that life (and the people that live it), are infinitely, irrevocably, but most of all, irritatingly complicated. Most of the time, there’s a reason that there are droves and droves of dry academia to sift through if you want to know the truth about something. That reason is that most people don’t agree what the truth is about something.

If we could all completely understand the wonders of the universe by watching a TV series or reading a book, we’d all be professors of astrophysics at ancient universities. We can’t, and we aren’t. QED.

So it was that with some trepidation, but an overriding sense of inquisitiveness that I beheld the glossy, golden cover of New Stars for Old; its title emblazoned in invitingly funky lettering, subtle photographs of heavenly bodies seeming to promise a reading experience of interstellar magnificence.

The book takes the form of twenty chapters dealing with debates, scandals, and the general confusion surrounding the history of astronomy up to and including Sir Isaac Newton. Each chapter is divided into two sections. In the first, Read the Historical Raconteur portrays the episode in question through imagined letters, diary entires, or straight prose, the characters leaping off the page such that, as the book goes on, it becomes frighteningly easy to forget that you’re not actually reading a colloquial translation of one of Roberto Bellarmino’s confidential letters to the Pope regarding the heretical theorising of various astronomers. In the second, Read the Scientist takes a step back from the imagined action, and outlines what is lifted directly from historical sources, what is unabashed fantasy, and what is a careful mixture of the two. He then often goes on to briefly discuss some of the issues arising from the episode, many of which are touched upon in later sections.

What immediately becomes obvious through this method of story telling is firstly that the history of astronomy is really Quite Interesting, and secondly that despite all the pointy beards, westward-sailing ships, and pet elks, humanity at the time of astronomy’s infancy is in much the same state as it is now: in a total state of WhatTheHellIsGoingOn?itude.

I therefore take comfort in the fact that New Stars for Old kindly points out that not even some of the minds that Western society holds up as its greatest could even agree on whether or not the Earth was surrounded by concentric crystalline spheres, each leading the planets and stars in some sort of celestial performance of ‘Ring a Ring a Rosie’.

While its easy for me to mock the Past with my iGCSE in Physics (an A grade, I’ll have you know), the technical details of establishing whether or not the Concentric Nursery Rhyme Theory is true without the benefit of something as apparently basic as a telescope are briefly touched upon, and all of a sudden the articulated lorry of Mind-Bending Astrophysics Inc. collides with the three-door hatchback from the iGnorance range of Misplaced Pride Motors. In less clumsily analogised terms: the ignorance of past peoples is tempered with the staggering complexity of even the most foundational aspects of the practice of astronomy. As it turns out, working out how the planets move with pre-1700 technology seems to be as difficult as working out why they move.

And apart from the immediate reminding of us that, as Read says in the very first sentence of the book, ‘Science is done by people’, this is, for me, was the biggest thing I took away from New Stars for Old. In an age of apps, satnav, and twitter, it’s humbling to remember that none would be possible without the astrophysical giants on whose shoulders we stand. Albeit giants who were at times, vindictive/hung-over/spectacularly wrong (or all of the above), but giants nonetheless.

If you’re looking for an erudite, entertaining, and thought-provoking book to read, you could do a lot worse than New Stars for Old.

[Dave Higgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides snapshots of twenty of the most influential figures in the development of astronomy, showing them not as dry theorists but as living products of their times, genuinely striving to find the truth.

Starting with Aristotle and ending with Newton, the book follows – apart from a slight digression due to competing theories – the development of the current model of the solar system out of the classical earth-centric model of interlocking spheres. Each chapter focuses on the major contributions of a specific astronomer, using a mix of traditional narrative and letters, from the perspective of real and fictional characters. Following each chapter, Read includes as brief statement of which parts are drawn from real sources and which are based on likely figures and events of the time. Without these explanatory sections at the end of each chapter the depth of characterisation would make it very difficult to judge which characters are merely invented.

All of the chapters are written in a casual modern style. This could be initially jarring to a reader familiar with the prose style of a particular age, but rapidly becomes unobtrusive and greatly improves the accessibility of the ideas.

Although the language is modern, the details of how people lived and what they believed are authentic. Each of the astronomers is shown as part of the wider religious and political structure of their day. While religion and science are often seen as adversaries by the modern world, as Read indicates in his introduction, these men and women believed not only that they were compatible but that they were two parts of the same question.

The stated purpose of this work is to rectify the trend in science to focus on the current correct theory rather than the path of revised imperfect theories that lead to it. Although it deals only with a few key moments from twenty astronomers, it fulfils this admirably, giving the reader both a flavour of the theory if they wish to pass on and a starting point if they wish to explore further. In fact it exceeds its purpose: by leading the reader through the stages by which the brightest people of their generation dealt with the observable differences between the real world and the astronomy of their predecessors not by abandoning the past but adding complexity to the models, it reveals that science does not advance smoothly toward a final truth but often improves an existing theories until it can no longer adequately deal with new facts.

The book does not contain any illustrations, which makes picturing some of the nuances of the theories harder. However, knowing the exact complexities is not necessary to understand how ideas developed and clashed across time and nation.

I have read many textbooks on philosophy and the history of science, so many of the facts were not new to me. However, I still enjoyed reading this book immensely. I therefore recommend it to anyone who is interested in either how astronomy developed or how science exists within rather than apart from human concerns.

I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair review.

[Meg - A Bookish Affair · Rating 4 out of 5]

"New Stars for Old" is a collection of vignettes about various historical figures who contributed to the field of astronomy. Being both a historical fiction lover and being fascinated by science, I ate up this collection. The author introduces many different historical figures in this book. Some of them I was familiar with and some of them were brand new to me (I always love learning a little bit when I read). This is a great collection of short stories!

The author brings so many great characters to life in this book! The writing is great and the stories are really fascinating. All of the short stories are very different from each other. The author truly creates an individual voice for the characters in each of the stories. I really liked all of the stories but one of my favorites has to do with a young man studying under the tutlege of Hypathia, the famous Greek mathematician. First off, I think Hypathia is a pretty cool historical figure and I love reading about her. Second off, the story is notable in that the student is a Christian. I didn't realize that there would have been Christians that would have studied under Hypathia. Oh how I love learning something new.

One interesting feature of this book is that the author included historical notes after each story in the book. He tells you what characters are fictional and which were real. He also tells you a little bit more about the real figures. At first these sections were a little jarring but they really grew on me. It was nice to learn a little bit more about the historical figures while reading this book. This collection is a good read for history and science lovers alike!

[Karen Alley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really brilliant idea for a book. Modern science - and indeed our entire modern worldview - is shaped by the early studies of astronomy. The path the field has taken to get to the understanding we have today is complex and meandering, and the author seeks to make those bits of scientific history readable and engaging by writing them as short stories. He reveals the scientists as real people with personalities and gives glimpses into their everyday lives. It demonstrates that our modern worldview was shaped piece by piece, each piece a very personal effort made by a dedicated scientist.

My only complaint with the book is that the stories end too soon. Just as you feel you have some sense of the characters, the story ends. Though to some extent this is inherent in short stories, I feel that they could have been developed more fully. Don't let a good subject go the moment you've grabbed your reader!

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marc Read has written a book where fact and fiction collide in a riveting read about Astronomy.
Seen through the eyes of Galileo and Aristotle, amongst others, they tell stories from their own perspectives, in their own time lines.
Lots of great questions are posed, which get you thinking.

What a great idea for a book.

Loved it !!

[Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable read and a great way to learn more about astronomy!

[Richard Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really novel and interesting way of teaching history - in this case the history of astronomy - by means of short 'stories' about famous astronomers. These 'stories' can be imagined dialogues or monologues or interviews or correspondence but all make their subjects accessible by presenting them as human beings, whether its Galileo's stubbornness or Brahe's arrogance or Newton's intransigence.