****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
Having just completed Volume One, and now far into Volume Two, I stand in awe at this man's ability to wade through an ocean of conflicting and confusing history, involving philosophy, religion and social upheavals, and somehow never lose cite of his central thesis--the ebb and flow of astrological beliefs. And all in very readable prose, carefully documented, and largely unbiased. Of course, with such a broad overview, and with so many influences and trends to dissect and analyze, there is no doubt that experts in individual fields may quibble about certain points and generalizations. But that doesn't detract from the value of this encyclopedic work. Whether you believe in Astrology or not, noone can deny that Astrology has played a major role in the intellectual and psychological life of Man since the beginning of time, and a respectful interest in its development is certainly warranted. And noone does it with such clarity, insightful prose, and ability to cut a clear path through the jungle of intellectual ideas than Campion, in two massive volumes of scholarship. I took a summer to read these two volumes, re-reading many passages again and again, and dont regret a moment of the effort. This is great writing, not just great scholarship.
