Product Description

The Astrolabe is the most complete astrolabe treatise available. It includes the description, history, use, theory and design of all types of astrolabes and several related devices, updated to modern methods and terminology. Application of computers to astrolabe design and practical advice on making an inexpensive working astrolabe are included. Includes 264 figures. Bound with OTABind, lay-flat binding.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #188806 in Books
• Published on: 2007-11-15
• Binding: Paperback
• 438 pages

Review
Jim Morrison's wonderful book explains everything that can be said about the astrolabe and related instruments, including all the details of their construction and use. It is animated throughout by a cheerful faith that this preeminent tool of astronomers past can still play a role in 21st-century scientific education and practical life. If you have ever wondered "how an astrolabe works" (at any level of detail), this is the book that will tell you. --Dr. Bruce Stephenson, Curator, Webster Institute for the History of Astronomy

The Astrolabe by Jim Morrison promises to be THE STANDARD on the subject for years to come. Jim has been a reliable resource for me for many years in my studies and work in the field of astrolabes. Anyone that wants to look into all of the nooks and crannies of this fascinating subject will have to have his book. --John Lamprey - author of "Hartmann's Practika" (2002), and co-author of "Stoeffler's Elucidatio" (2007).

The astrolabe is one of the most significant scientific instruments of all times. What other instrument has been in continuous use for nearly 2000 years? It solved the critical problems of its day and continues to be admired for its ingenuity and usefulness. The Astrolabe focuses on the instrument itself. Morrison retraces the astrolabe s evolution over the ages and shows how their designs changed and their inscriptions evolved to serve its users. He even hints at its astrological uses where one s fate might rest with the rising or setting of a lucky star. Morrison fast forwards the astrolabe to modern times. He shows how, with dedication, you can make your own surprisingly accurate and beautiful astrolabe. Everything is included: modern star positions, formulas for making graphics and examples of recently crafted instruments. Anyone interested in the history of science or fields like astronomy, navigation or surveying will be astonished at the variety, beauty and utility of the astrolabe. Morrison's book is beautifully illustrated, and supported by a series of useful and instructive appendices. --Dr. Edward S. Popko

About the Author
James E. Morrison is the most prolific maker of astrolabes in history, having made over 5,000 copies of The Personal Astrolabe, an inexpensive astrolabe reproduction. He is devoted to making astrolabe information more available through his web site (astrolabes.org), writing and lectures.

Customer Reviews

Fantstic *Modern* Astrolabe Book
First, if you're interested at all in astrolabes, this is the single best, most informative, most comprehensive book I've found. It's clear, concise and well illustrated. I'm very tempted to use the chapter on stereographic projections in my GIS classes.

It doesn't have many illustrations of historic instruments, but that's not it's focus. You can find those in the Time Museum or Western Astrolabes book and get more nuts and bolts info about the production process from Scientific Instruments of Elizabethan England. But for creating and using an astrolabe, you can't find a better reference- UNLESS you really want to use period processes. He doesn't even try to show how it was done, dismissing it with "Readers interested in the mathematical approach used in the Middle Ages are referred to Thomson for a thorough treatment"- that would be the translation of de Plana Spera. As I keep telling my daughter, life gets boring if you don't have anything to long for. I'll start saving the (argh!) $150 for that next.

The contents (with the exception of using trig instead of geometry to create the layout) are exceptional. The physical book is less so. I plan on using this heavily and I don't think it's going to hold up. The paperback cover is glued to the front and back pages to try to give it some stability, but the glue is already losing its hold. The pages themselves are glued in rather than bound. I know there wasn't a real choice in that, but it's a thick book and it's not going to hold up well- think of the Calvin and Hobbes collectors' editions. The paper is already yellowing and I just got it last week. I *know* these choices had to be made to keep the cost of the book down to something that wouldn't make people scream, but I'm going to take it to Kinkos and have it drilled so I can capture it inside a 3 ring binder. I'm not going to risk losing any of the pages. It has enough white space to make that feasible and still have room left over for notes.

Excellent book
This book summarizes 300 years of knowledge found in previous books, in a clear style and with accurate drawings. I use to read Henri Michel's treatise on astrolabes, and D'Hollander book. Both were interesting but more difficult to read and use, even though they are in French, my language.
Morrison's book allowed me to understand how astrolabes work and are drawn. I applied this knowledge to my shareware program Shadows that draws and animates astrolabes on screen. Thank you James Morrison for making this possible, thanks to your excellent book.

THE astrolabe book to have
I've been waiting for this book to be published for years, so I was very excited to get it, though $60 for a paperback is pretty steep. It's well worth it though: almost 400 pages of detailed information, including over 200 diagrams. I've been following Mr. Morrison's website, http://astrolabes.org/ for many years, and corresponded with him briefly several years ago when I had some questions about how to lay out an astrolabe geometrically. He was very gracious and helpful.

This book is THE astrolabe book. It's a modern treatment that includes computer code as well as ancient methods for laying out astrolabes. It includes all kinds of variations, including a "linear astrolabe" that consists of a marked stick and three strings, which the Arabs used about 800 years ago. It's amazing what the human mind can do with very little in the way of actual material stuff. He also includes the "universal astrolabe" that works at all latitudes, and several versions of the "quadrant astrolabe" that is essentially an astrolabe folded in quarters and printed on a card. There's a fair amount of history, and lots of math (nothing beyond high-school trig). He takes both a geometric and analytic approach, with diagrams as well as formulas. His explanation of why and how the linear astrolabe works was amazing.

I have both of John Lamprey's books (both highly recommended. I think he's still selling them: lamprey at frii dot com) and have also read Chaucer's book. I'm very glad to have added this one to my shelf.