Classical Mythology of the Constellations: Timeless Tales of the Starry Night Sky

by Annette Giesecke, Jim Tierney (illustrator)

A retelling of the classic myths and timeless tales by bestselling author Annette Giesecke that underlie the 88 named constellations in the night sky--from Andromeda to Orion to Ursa Major.

Classical Mythology of the Constellations is a stargazer's guide to the wondrous stories of the gods, heroes, and monsters that populate the night sky. As long as humans have lived on Earth, they have gazed up at the starry sky with fascination and longing. For the ancient Greeks and Romans, the Sun, Moon, and Earth were gods.  The stars beyond our Solar System, however, represented heroes, animals, and monsters that the gods placed in the sky after their death. These include the great hunter Orion and the scorpion who killed him with its sting, the beautiful maiden Callisto who was turned into a bear (Ursa Major) by the goddess Hera, Perseus, the slayer of Medusa, and many more.

In this beautifully designed work, stunningly illustrated by Jim Tierney, Giesecke tells the origin stories of the 48 constellations, first catalogued by the astronomer Ptolemy in the first century CE. A final section covers the names, locations, and brief descriptions of the remaining 40 constellations catalogued by astronomers in the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries, which are not named for Classical figures.  

Organized by hemisphere and celestial quadrant, the book also includes two illustrated star maps to help guide the reader to the location of each constellation, as well as 48 color plates throughout. 






 


 

Genres: Nonfiction, Mythology, History, Science, Greek Mythology

256 pages, Hardcover

Published August 19, 2025

Reviews

[Captain Absurd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great illustrations of the Ptolemaic constellations, but if we read the whole thing from beginning to end, we can notice that in many places the author repeats the same myths over and over. It is not a problem though!

[Just Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The world interest me.
The universe interest me.
The stars interest me.
The stories we as humans have created over time is a treasure on its’ own.
And I believe that this book gave a beautiful description of what wonders we look upon night after night, but rarely get the full story behind.

Now I do understand that a lot of my fellow readers felt the book was quite repetitive, yet I look at it slightly different.
Most of these constellations and their “origin” stories were interconnected.
To me I felt that the author was extremely thorough in her research and honored each constellation, and consistently drew parallels to each constellation that had a part in another constellations story.
To some that might seem repetitive, because the story for obvious reason does not change.
But I do think that the author added just a little bit of extra information on the constellation in question to keep something unique to their story.

The artwork was absolutely stunning. I loved the pretty “edges” on each specific page.

I would have wished for a little artwork on the more “new” constellations as those were completely new to me. And the art on the “old” constellations were so useful in order to imagine what people have seen on the sky for many years.

Read: 07.03.2026
1st rating: 4 stars
Genre/tropes: Mythology- Greek Gods - Science
Cover: 5 stars
Will I recommend: Yes

[Christina Welsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. Just repeats the same myth too many times! But I learned so much!

[Bright Star · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful edition is a must-have for every Greek mythology and stars' lovers.

[Eduardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was in the new book section and I thought it looked cool! The concept is that it’s a reference book for all of the major constellations recognized by the International Astronomical Union, and explains the myths behind them from Greco-Roman mythology. As the introduction explains, all of these official constellations were taken from “Almagest” by Claudius Ptolemy, whose work remained the foremost book on astronomy for centuries until Copernicus’s own hypothesis of heliocentrism–though Ptolemy’s constellation work is still considered well-done and is used today.

It’s better to look at as a reference text than a book of stories, though it’s technically both. The reason why is that a lot of the stories overlap, such as Perseus, Andromeda, and her family, so you’ll get the same retellings over and over again. That can be a bit frustrating to sit and read through.

One thing that I did really like about this book, though, is that it covers disputes in stories. There are some star formations that it’s unclear what particular mythological character it’s meant to be depicting. Taurus, for instance, might be the Cretan Bull, or it might be Zeus in the form he took when he abducted Europa. Or perhaps another bull! This book makes sure to tell you all of the likely candidates for any image.

Also, you know the constellation for the Argo was considered by some to be too big, and so it was split into three smaller ones named after parts of the ship?

There is also a list of constellations described by later astronomers (and by ‘later’ we mean ‘Renaissance and Enlightenment’) towards the back of the book. These descriptions are not as detailed, and it comes with no images, though the credit for the astronomer is included. Which is a cool little thing to include, even if it doesn’t usually relate to classical myth.

It’s a cool book! Definitely worth checking out.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

-1 star for referencing "Israel" as a location in ancient mythos. Israel shouldn't be recognized as a country in modernity, let alone in myth. What you meant was PALESTINE, Annette.

-1 star for regurgitating the myths with absolutely no critical thought or indication that they were first written down by and passed on by men. Despite an author bio claiming extensive study of myths, this is more boring "the gods are gods and the goddesses are jealous harlot villains". Feminism obviously eludes you, Annette.

-1 star and what finally made me DNF at page 111 was the absolute ignorance of Medusa's story. There is no "making love" between a creepy sea god and a young woman (in some translations a barely-teenage CHILD). The word you're looking for is rape, Annette.

Two star rating is for the art in this book and the concept of relaying the mythos of the stars according to ancient Greeks. I'm going through my Want To Read to make sure I have no other books by this Zionist, misogynistic author.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book on Aug. 18, one day before it was supposed to go on sale. Put, out, I think when the book shipment arrived. The Book: the hard cover is very well done. Thick pages, design on the edges of the pages. Really well made book. The contents: Nice illustrations of the constellations. Good work on the mythology behind the names. Overall, a really well done book.

[Lauren Florence · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick and easy reference for the ancient constellations! Unfortunately, there are no illustrations for the modern constellations. Also, are all the constellations of the Zodiac incorrect with regard to when the sun passes through them???

[Mark Fallon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect book for lovers of the stars and the classic myths. Makes me want to read more by Giesecke.

I love beautiful books including typeface and layout. Add to that the wonderful illustrations by Jim Tierney.

[Tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very repetitive

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and found the abbreviated stories about how each of the constellations were connected to mythology very interesting.

[Justin Lemke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great references to the myths, could’ve been organized by myth rather than having repeated story after repeated story