This is a book review of Starborn—How the Stars Made Us and Who We Would Be Without Them by Roberta Trotta.
Starborn: How the Stars Made Us—and Who We Would Be Without Them, by Roberto Trotta (Basic Books), 2023. Pp. 350, 24 × 16 cm. Price £22 (hardbound, ISBN 978 1 529 34608 4).
This book is about how astronomy has influenced the cultural history of humanity, starting off with influences on the author, then covering how the night sky has become less important with time for most people, thoughts on life on a planet with no stars visible, early humans, clocks, navigation, the scientific revolution and its wider ramifications (in particular a good overview of various statistical measures; many mathematical innovations were made by astronomers), and astrology, before concluding with a chapter on the future. The examples of the influence of astronomy on humanity cover not only traditional Western societies but also a variety of other ancient and modern societies. But little-known points from Western culture are also mentioned, e.g. the reason for the order of the names of the days of the week, each corresponding to a planet. Despite a couple of minor qualms, I recommend the book, which ranges from Neanderthals to the future and, while the astronomy is explained well, the emphasis is on its affect on humanity.