My grandfather, who was a devoutly religious scholar and a bishop of the Methodist Church, acknowledged in his old age that he had once been persuaded, reluctantly, to consult an astrologer about the whereabouts of a wallet he had lost. The wallet had all sorts of valuables in it and he had looked everywhere for it in vain. The astrologer cast a chart for the question—“Where is my wallet?”—and after examining the planets, told him, correctly, where it could be found. That both pleased the bishop and annoyed him. Many years later, he was still clearly abashed. He had too honest a mind to dismiss it, but he couldn’t explain it either. And so in my own mind, too, this story curled a question mark over the entire subject which, some forty years later, I at last began to explore. As a student of history, I took the long view, which in the end proved indispensable for getting my bearings right. This book is the result.
Astrology may be a suspect subject, at least to some; the history of astrology can scarcely be to anyone who cares about the history of ideas. In recent years, that history in all its aspects has benefited from the work of a number of fine scholars—John D. North, Michael Molnar, Robert Zoller, James Herschel Holden, Patrick Curry, David Plant, Nicholas Campion, J. Lee Lehman, Tamsyn Barton, Anthony Grafton, William R. Newman, Hilary Carey, Annabella Kitson, Demetra George, Laura Ackerman Smoller, Robert Hand, and John Frawley, among the more prominent—who have made it possible to glimpse the true sweep and compass of the art. Invaluable work is also being done daily by Project Hindsight, dedicated to the recovery and translation of the classic Greek, Latin, Arabic, and Hebrew works; and by ARHAT, the Archive for the Retrieval of Historical Astrological Texts. Both deserve to be better known. All my cordial contacts with the American Federation of Astrologers and the Astrological Association of Great Britain were also fruitful of results.
I have indeed relied on the labors of many, but those who helped in any direct or coordinate way with the making of this book are absolved of any errors it contains. Among family, friends, colleagues, associates, and helpful correspondents, I am happy to name: Eleanor Bach, James and Peter Bobrick, Robin Brownstein, Herschel Farbman, John Frawley, Svetlana Gorokhova, Nancy Griffin, Peter Guttmacher, Hagop Merjian, Gloria Mulcahy, Peter Murkett, Pamela Robertson, George and Gene Rochberg, David Roell, Lora Sharnoff, Edward W. Tayler, P. L. Travers, Richard and Bea Wernick, and Danielle Woerner, among others, who over the years contributed something of value, however indirectly, to the text. My dedicated agent, Russell Galen, stood foursquare behind the book from the start; my editor, Bob Bender, was exemplary as always in allowing me to work in my own way. His assistant, Johanna Li, helpfully attended to details. Three hometown haunts—Mocha Joe’s, Amy’s Bakery Arts Cafe, and The Cafe Beyond—often provided sustenance and a home away from home. Throughout, Hilary and the twins, Zuzu & Jasper, did much to keep my spirits up. I am grateful to them all.