This pair of volumes (Volume I: Aries – Virgo; Volume II: Libra - Pisces) is the magnum opus of the late Diana Rosenberg, a noted research astrologer who was the recipient of the Saptarishi Astrology's Lifetime Achievement Award, nominee for the Regulus Research Award, and a founding member of the Uranian Society. The contents are the culmination of thirty years of research into fixed stars.

The Contents section is the touchstone of each book: chapter headings serve as an index for the constellations and zodiacal segments and are followed by a list of abbreviations. The author reviews individual constellations, then breaks these down into groups of fixed stars in three- to five-degree longitudinal zodiac segments. Star segment sections are preceded with a table of the stars/constellations included. Each slice includes stars from north to south declination. Sections on individual constellations include star-meanings with historical background from multiple cultures. Many constellations are illustrated. The zodiacal segments end with a list of individuals with those stars highlighted in the nativity as well as a list of related mundane events.

The two volumes split the zodiac (I: Aries-Virgo; II: Libra-Pisces). These designations simply outline the degrees of the tropical zodiac covered in each volume. All major and many minor constellations are included in the survey. Every possible star reference was utilized in the compilation. Volume II ends with several appendices that occupy pages 787 to 848. Appendix I provides birth data for all of the people cited in the texts. Appendix II: Military Events, Battles, Attacks; III Storms, Floods, Weather Events, Travel Events, Shipwrecks, Crashes; IV: History, Science, Discoveries; V: Fire and Explosion Events, Meteorites and Fireballs; VI: Medical and Contamination Events, Epidemics; and VII: Earth Upheavals. Further appendices include lists of the Chinese, Arabic, and Hindu lunar mansions and the stars or asterisms included in each. The volume ends with a long list of reference citations.

“Secrets of the Ancient Skies” was a massive undertaking. The writing is excellent and Rosenberg's research is pristine and meticulous. The amount of detail is staggering. These are not books that can be read in a week or a month. Well worth acquiring by dedicated astrologers who are fascinated with star lore and willing to invest time into a lengthy study of the contents. Readers would be hard-pressed to find another work on fixed stars that is so thoroughly researched, well-written, and accessible. Very highly recommended.

~review by Elizabeth Hazel

Author: Diana K. Rosenberg
2012, Ancient Skies Press.
Vol I (770 pg) and Vol II (857 pg)
paperback, $60 for set.
www.ancientskiespress.com, sold through E-Bay