Plunket, the Hon. Emmeline M. ‘Ancient Calendars and Constellations. With Illustrations’ John Murray, Albemarle Street, W., London, 1903.

Original cloth. [2 leaves] + [pp. vii-xiii] + [pp. xv-xvi] + 12 + [plate] + [pp. 13-36] + [plate] + [pp. 37-40] + [plate] + [pp. 41-64] + [plate] + [pp. 65-70] + [plate] + [pp. 71-4] + [2 pages of plates] + [pp. 75-8] + [plate] + [pp. 79-80] + [plate] + [pp. 81-118] + [plate] + [pp. 119-20] + [plate] + [pp. 121-4] + [plate] + [pp. 125-142] + [plate] + [pp. 143-174] + [plate] + [pp. 175-197] + [plate] + [pp. 199-211] + [1 leaf] + [pp. 215-231] + [plate] + [pp. 233-255] + [10 leaves of folding plates] + [pp. 257-263] + [4 pages of advertisements]

About this Book Scan

We know little about Emmeline Mary Plunket (1835-1924), except that she was born to Irish parents; but her book Ancient Calendars and Constellations (1903) remains of historical interest for its presentation of what was then known or believed regarding these subjects.

The first book is comprised of eight separate papers on a variety of topics including the Accadian Calendar, The Median Calendar, the constellations Aries and Taurus, Ancient Indian Astronomy, and the Chinese Calendar. The second part of the book discusses a variety of fine line drawings depicting the constellations, which are included as plates. The first part of the book is also illustrated by an assortment of fine line drawings.