This is a list of books recommended by our readers. Please add your favorite astrology books below, and include the ISBN number to enable easy lookup. Reviews of books are appreciated and can be added under the title. Note that this list is solely for the benefit of our readers and AstrologyNotes accepts no liability for circumstances resulting from reading a book on this list.
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Books By Skill Level
Beginner
- Astrology for Yourself: How to Understand and Interpret Your Own Birth Chart, by Demetra George & Douglas Bloch – Great introductory workbook for learning and understanding the various facets of your birth chart.
- The Ultimate Astrologer: A Simple Guide to Calculating and Interpreting Birth Charts for Effective Application in Daily Life, by Nicholas Campion – Awesome all around introductory text on many different areas, mainly focusing on chart interpretation. Nick does a very good job of explaining things as he goes along, so that you come away from it not only understanding your own chart better, but with enough understanding to really be able to apply it to other charts because you come to know the meanings inherent in the symbolism.
- Astrology: Understanding the Birth Chart, by Kevin Burke - This book gives a really comprehensive overview of both modern and traditional techniques. Highly recommended. Also recommended by me --Frenchfisher 17:50, 27 Jul 2005 (PDT)
- The Only Way to Learn Astrology series, by Marion March & Joan McEvers – This series is always highly recommended by various astrologers because of its depth and the full range of material covered. There are 6 books in this series, each covering different topics with a fair amount of depth.
- The American Ephemeris for the 21st Century, by Neil F. Michelsen - An ephemeris is basically a book of planetary placements for everyday of the year, for like a 50 to 100 year period. Every astrologer needs an ephemeris at some point so that they can become familiar with the movements of the planets, and what their ‘effects’ are at given moments in time. Knowing where the planets will be ‘transiting’ at a given moment in the future, and how they relate to birth charts, is largely how predictions are made.
- The Astrologer's Handbook, by Frances Sakoian – Pretty all inclusive cookbook style astrology book. Gives interpretation for planets in sign, house and aspect to each other. It is kind of old, and a bit dated, but your can find copies everywhere for really cheap.
- All Around the Zodiac, by Bill Tierney – Very thorough book that really delves into the archetypes of each sign of the zodiac, and then how they relate to each other. This book is only directed towards the signs, but it is probably the best text available on them at the moment.
- The Twelve Houses, by Howard Sasportas – Great book directed towards an in depth understanding of the houses in the birth chart, especially as it pertains to their psychological meaning. Very good text.
- Planets in Transit, by Rob Hand – The authoritative text on the interpretation of every possible transit of all of the planets to those in the birth chart. When used together with an ephemeris it will give a nice overview and interpretation of various themes that occur either for just a couple of hours, or sometimes a couple years.--Chris Brennan 19:19, 26 Jul 2005 (PDT)
- Meet Your Planets, by Roy Alexander - An amusing, witty guide to the horoscope using planets as people (for instance, Mars is a John McEnroe-type sports star, and Saturn is a crusty old math teacher) and signs and houses as jobs (for instance, Leo is a Pop Star and Pisces is a Castaway) to illustrate how well (and how) planets function in different places. --Frenchfisher 17:50, 27 Jul 2005 (PDT)
Intermediate
- Rulers of the Horoscope, by Alan Oken. Wonderful intermediate level text directed towards the specific ‘rulers’ of the chart due to the houses. For example, the ‘ruler of the chart’ is usually said to be the planet that rules the sign on the ascendant. The ruler of the 5th house, is the planet that rules the sign on the cusp of the 5th- and consequently this planet becomes the significator of children in a persons life, and so on and so fourth. This text gives delineations for each chart ruler in specific houses, and he gives plenty of chart examples which elucidate the concepts very well. I highly recommend this book.
- The Martial Art of Horary Astrology, by Lee Lehman. This is THE text for anyone who is interested in learning the ancient art of Horary astrology. Horary is the branch of astrology directed towards answering specific questions when they are asked at a given moment in time. Theoretically if a question exists at a moment in time, then the answer does as well, and if the moment is right, and if you know what to look for, then the answer can be read in the chart for the moment the question was asked. Lee is one of the leading Classical horary astrologers in the world today, and she draws on and cites a large number of Classical authors in this book. It is very informative and comprehensive. Another text that I highly recommend. --Chris Brennan 19:19, 26 Jul 2005 (PDT)
- Identifying Planetary Triggers: Astrological Techniques for Prediction, by Celeste Teal. Great contemporary modern astrological text on predictive astrology, mainly directed towards the specific techniques of planetary returns and secondary progressions. This book is jam-packed with techniques and material, and it is the second in a two part series, of which the first book by the same author is also good.
- Whole Sign Houses, the Oldest House System, by Robert Hand. Great little 50 page booklet where Rob lays down the historical and technical case for the use of Whole Sign Houses. This is not a delineation text, but it is a very important conceptual sort of technical text that everyone needs to honestly face at one point in time in his or her studies. They don’t necessarily need to convert, but it is important to know all of the evidence pertaining to the many different house systems.
- Solar Arcs, by Noel Tyl – One of the main Modern predictive astrological techniques that is in vogue in recent years. Tyl is one of the main astrologers on the subject and his book is very thorough and it also goes into midpoints a bit and has a very nice Midpoint interpretation table at the back, which is very useful.--Chris Brennan 19:19, 26 Jul 2005 (PDT)
- "Astrological Keywords" by Manly P. Hall. A listing of rulerships and astrological relationships. Manly P. Hall has authored many great books about astrology. This book is the standard reference book for any astrologer. Many lists of the signs, planets and what they are associaed with.
- "The Philosophy of Astrology" by Manly P. Hall. This work covers the higher meanings of what astrology really means. It translates many different manifestations of astrology such as in relationships with music, medicine, among other topics into everyday world. An inspiring work for feeling how astrology works.
- "The Rulership Book" by Rex E. Bills. Virtually an astrological encyclopedia. Lists all of known sign and planet rulerships. Medical listings are located at the end of the book. A must have for a intermediate to advanced astrology student.
Advanced
- Night & Day, Planetary Sect in Astrology, by Robert Hand. 68 page monograph introducing the ancient technique of sect, its historical basis, its interpretation and implications as well as several chart examples to display the usefulness of the technique. Can be kind of a dry read in certain places, but definitely worth it.
- Classical Astrology for Modern Living, from Ptolemy to Psychology & Back Again, by Lee Lehman. Darn thorough text discussing many old-school techniques, their philosophical basis and their modern application and use. Well referenced and very scholarly. Lee has a knack for really getting to the root of many useful ancient techniques that astrologers used back in the day, but that got lost in the transmission.
History and Philosophy of Astrology
- Conversing with the Planets, by Anthony Aveni. This book gives information on the development of astronomy and astrology in MesoAmerica.
- Ancient Astrology, by Tamsyn Barton. Part of a series where each book is a component of ancient astrology, it's an excellent introduction.
- The Limits of Influence. Pico, Louvain, and the Crisis of Renaissance Astrology, by Steven vanden Broecke. Ficino's student Pico della Mirandola wrote a critique of astrology that many consider devastating. This work follows what was going on in academic asrology after this work was published.
- Babylon Memphis Persepolis. Eastern Contexts of Greek Culture, by Walter Burkert. This book concerns the transmission of cultural ideas in the ancient Middle East.
- Astrology, History and Apocalypse, by Nick Campion. This book is basically two long lectures that Nick, who is a historian and astrologer, gave on the history of astrology, and also on millenarianism and new age movements, at the Center for Psychological Astrology in Europe. This is a really great read. Very fascinating and informative.
- Kepler's Witch. An Astronomer's Discovery of Cosmic Order amid Religious War, Political Intrigue, and the Heresy Trial of his Mother, by James A. Connor. Kepler has come up for reappraisal as possibly even having poisoned his patron Tycho Brahe. This book gives a detailed examination of his life and works.
- Astrology in Roman Law and Politics, by Frederick H. Cramer. While somewhat dated (1954), this is still an outstanding reference of names and stories from the Roman Empire.
- Astrology and Religion among the Greeks and Romans, by Franz Cumont. Cumont reflects the biases of the early 20th c. scholarship that he represents, but this is one of the granddaddy books on the history of astrology.
- Prophecy and Power. Astrology in Early Modern England, by Patrick Curry. In this work Curry considers the English Civil War, the astrological players like William Lilly, and the effect on astrology of the aftermath of the Restoration.
- A Confusion of Prophets. Victorian and Edwardian Astrology, by Patrick Curry. If you really want to know the origins of modern astrology, begin with this book.
- The History and Practice of Ancient Astronomy, by James Evans. A solid coffee-table book, well illustrated, with a lot of excellent information.
- The Astral Tramp. A Biography of Sepharial, by Kim Farnell. A biography of one of the 19th c.'s more colorful astrologers and Theosophists.
- Medicine before Science, by Roger French. Astrology is not the main topic, but he does cover the priorities of the Latin translators in bringing astrological medical texts from Arabic into Latin.
- A Catalogue Raisonné of Works on the Occult Sciences. Vol. II. Astrological Books, by F. Leigh Gardiner. A must-have reference which lists astrology books from the Middle Ages to the early 20th c.
- Astrology in the Renaissance, by Eugenio Garin.
- Cardano's Cosmos. The Worlds and Works of a Renaissance Astrologer, by Anthony Grafton. Jerome Cardan contributed to the invention of probability theory, as well as medical astrology, the popularization of books of nativities, and many other areas of knowledge.
- A History of Horoscopic Astrology, from the Babylonian period to the Modern Age, by James Holden. A must have book for any serious astrologer. This is a great overview of the history of astrology, especially with regards to the many influential astrologers who have lived and contributed to the art over the past 2,000 years.
- Astrology and the Third Reich, by Ellic Howe. This book exists under a couple of titles. Howe has researched the astrological players around the time of the Second World War.
- Astral Sciences in Mesopotamia, by Hermann Hunger and David Pingree. This is some of the excellent scholarly work that is being done on the Babylonian period.
- Dante's Christian Astrology, by Richard Kay. This brings a whole new angle to Dante!
- Astronomy and Astrology in the Medieval Islamic World, by Edward S. Kennedy.
- Histoire de l'Astrologie, by Wilhelm Knappich [Geschichte der Astrologie]. This work is available only in German and French, but is an excellent reference work.
- Anthroposophy and Astrology. The Astronomical Letters of Elisabeth Vreede, Ronald Koetzsch and Anne Riegel, Translators. For those who want to know how astrology was integrated by Rudolph Steiner and his circle. If you are expecting conventional astrology, skip it.
- Astrology and Numerology in Medieval and Modern Catalonia, by John Scott Lucas. This work addresses a literature from the Middle Ages that combines astrology and numerology together.
- Jung on Synchronicity and the Paranormal, by Roderick Main – Great text on Jung that details some of his thoughts on astrology, and does a really good job of outlining his theory of synchronicity. It also contains one of Jung’s essays on the subject called ‘On Synchronicity’. This is a very important text that helps to explain and put into context much of the philosophical basis underlying modern astrology.--Chris Brennan 19:19, 26 Jul 2005 (PDT)
- The Star of Bethlehem. The Legacy of the Magi, by Michael R. Molnar. This book addresses the question of just what the Magi saw.
- Written in the Stars: Ancient Zodiac Mosaics, by Lester Ness. Lester has documented zodiac mosiacs in ancient Jewish synagogues.
- Prayer, Magic and the Stars in the Ancient and Late Antique World, by Scott Noegel, Joel Walker and Brannon Wheeler, Editor. This is a series of conference proceedings.
- Horoscopes and History, by J.D. North. This is the ultimate source on the history of house systems.
- Babylonian Horoscopes, by Francesca Rochberg. This work gives the texts and translations of the known horoscopes that were done on clay tablets.
- The Heavenly Writing. Divination, Horoscopy and Astronomy in Mesopotamian Culture, by Francesca Rochberg. This work is an extraordinary work on the history of Babylonian astrology.
- History, Prophecy, and the Stars. The Christian Astrology of Pierre d’Ailly, 1350-1420, by Laura Ackerman Smoller. Pierre d'Ailly was a Cardinal who was using mundane astrology to help make decisions about his actions relating to Church policy.
- A History of Western Astrology, by Jim Tester. Not as comprehensive in time as Holden, but a good reference.
- A History of Magic and Experimental Science during the first Thirteen Centuries of Our Era, by Lynn Thorndike. While dated, this is an extraordinary reference, but very expensive.
- The Notorious Astrological Physician of London. Works and Days of Simon Foreman, by Barbara Howard Traister. In addition to a wonderful history of medical astrology, Simon Foreman also was one of the few contemporaries of Shakespeare to write reviews.
- Astrology: A History, by Peter Whitfield. Another coffee-table book: great pictures, no references.
Vedic Astrology
- Light on Life: An Introduction to the Astrology of India, by Hart De Fouw & Robert Svoboda. This is a really, really great introductory text to the type of sidereal horoscopic astrology that is practiced in India. It covers a lot of ground, but it is very thorough and deep. I would highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in studying Vedic astrology, which is like Western astrology’s long lost brother.
- The Astrology of the Seers, by David Frawley. This is anther great introductory Vedic text with a bit more philosophical depth than Light on Life, but a bit smaller and less thorough. It definitely compliments the other text.
- The Nakshatras, the Lunar Mansions of Vedic Astrology, by Dennis Harness. Great introductory text on the ancient lunar zodiac of India called the Nakshatras. The normal zodiac that we all know of has 12 signs because of the movements of the Sun throughout the cycle in a year, but there is also another type of ‘zodiac’ based off of the Moon that is divided into 27 sections due to the Moons monthly movement. This lunar zodiac is virtually unknown in western astrology, but it has been used in India for thousands of years now, and this is one of the texts in the west to present the subject in a very practical and understandable manner.
- Mansions of the Moon, the Lost Zodiac of the Goddess, by Kenneth Johnson. Another wonderful book on the Nakshatras that tries to go a bit more in depth with the mythological aspect of the 27 Nakshatras, or mansions of the Moon. --Chris Brennan 19:19, 26 Jul 2005 (PDT)
Old books in modern editions
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Reference Books
