Star Lore

Casual stargazers are familiar with many classical figures and asterisms composed of bright stars (e.g., Orion and the Plough), but this book reveals not just the constellations of today but those of yesteryear. The history of the human identification of constellations among the stars is explored through the stories of some influential celestial cartographers whose works determined whether new inventions survived.

In 1884, Paul Verlaine published an anthology entitled Les poètes maudits, a work paying homage to French Parnassianism and giving meaning to the concept of the poète maudit (accursed poet), so specific to the period towards the end of the nineteenth century and to the angst of its writers. Their names – Verlaine, Baudelaire, Rimbaud, de Lautréamont, Corbière, de Nerval and Mallarmé – and their existential malaise are reflected in the works of the musicians of their time.

An illustrated guide to Dungeons & Dragons’ beloved fifth edition told through interviews, artwork, and visual ephemera from the designers, storytellers, and artists who bring it to life.