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Classical Mythology of the Constellations: Timeless Tales of the Starry Night Sky
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.
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.
- GenresNonfictionMythology
256 pages, Hardcover
Published August 19, 2025
19 people are currently reading
259 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 30, 2025
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!
November 25, 2025
Very interesting. Just repeats the same myth too many times! But I learned so much!
November 2, 2025
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.
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.
August 29, 2025
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.
November 30, 2025
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???
October 27, 2025
Very repetitive
January 16, 2026
Beautiful illustrations and found the abbreviated stories about how each of the constellations were connected to mythology very interesting.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews