History of Astronomy: An Encyclopaedia, edited John Lankford, Garland Publishing, New York and London, 1997, 594 pp. Cambridge Illustrated History of Astronomy, edited Michael Hoskin, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1997, 392 pp.

Together with Garland publishing’s excellent Encyclopaedia of Cosmology (edited Norris Hetherington, 1993), these two volumes provide welcome reference material on the history of astronomy in all its forms. This is an increasingly necessary task in view of the rediscovery of ancient cosmologies and the rapid advances in modern astronomy and the publishers and editors of both deserve congratulations for their work. The Cambridge edition is aimed more at the general market while the Garland edition is more specialised, but both have their place. The Garland edition includes short articles on such matters as literature and astronomy but it is not always apparent where one should turn to for the relevant information. There is no listing under ‘Maya’ for example, and one would stumble by chance upon the entry for the Mayan observatory, the Caracol at Chichén Itza. There are also some curious omissions, such as Thales, who should surely deserve a mention. The Cambridge volume is arranged chronologically with nine chapters progressing from prehistory through to astrophysics and Big Bang cosmology. The early chapters deal adequately with the question of religious pressures on astronomy and motives for astronomical research. However, neither of these latest publications competes with the 1993 Encyclopedia in its coverage of astronomy and astrology in other cultures - in Mesopotamia or amongst native Americans, for instance.