Recommended Reading
(in no particular order)

Because Estelle has been asked what books she would recommend to those wishing more information, she has compiled this list of her favorites:

Astrology Secrets From a Stargazer's Notebook, by Debi Kempton-Smith. This book was in print in a purple paperback for over a decade. It has been updated into a larger $25 (or so) dark blue trade paperback. Except for the planetary tables, the information seems to be the same. With respect to Ms. Kempton-Smith, try to get the little purple paperback used. This is a great book, small but full of important information. The tables allow you to sort-of figure out where your planets are, but a good astrological website will do the same thing. The text is the important stuff, not the tables. It is useful to interested lay people, beginners to pros. I love it, and it's quite funny. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Astrology, by Madeline Gerwick-Brodeur and Lisa Lenard. The Idiot's series (the orange ones) are not all great, but this one is a winner. It's readily available and has much good information. It's a good beginner book. The Only Way to Learn Astrology, by Marion March and Joan McEvers. This series is one Auntie Estelle herself used to learn astrology. It seems to have been reissued yet again. It's good, but sometimes a bit ponderous, and written more in astrological style, than the breezy informal format of Idiot's Guide. Still the information is solid and you can't get better. Key Words for Astrology, by Hajo Banzhaf and Anna Haebler. This is a book of keywords for various signs, planets, houses, placements, aspects and combinations. It is oriented toward natal horoscope interpretation, the astrology of birthcharts and what's your sign? It is an excellent reference to help get nuggets and ideas from a chart. The Inner Sky, The Changing Sky and Skymates by Steven Forrest and Jodie Forrest. These have been reissued in trade paperbacks and have been revised and updated. They are very good individually and as a series. The Inner Sky is basic natal astrology, The Changing Sky addresses transits and prediction, and Skymates is about synastry—the astrology of partnerships and compatibility. They are readable and sometimes humorous. They give a lot of information in a deceptively small package. Dell Horoscope Magazine. Estelle has been reading Horoscope (the digest-sized supermarket magazine monthly) since about 1968. It is beginner oriented, but has features which appeal to pros also. Estelle especially likes the Astrological Advise column, the planetary hours tables (save them for a year and you have them forever), the Self-Guidance Chart in the back and the occasional astro-quiz. You can subscribe and get a big price break. Try it out from the newsstand first, to see if it suits you. There are articles every month, and though usually beginner-level, they are still solid and good. Their website is www.dellhoroscope.com The Mountain Astrologer. This is the Cadillac of astrology magazines, bar none. It's very thorough, and some of the series (like Dana Gephardt's Moonwatcher series) have been going on for years. If you only get one magazine, this is the one to get. Even though it is more expensive, it's well worth it. You can contact them at www.mountainastrologer.com They have articles online as well as ordering information and back issues. Estelle likes them, and would even if they had not published her articles. The letters to the editor mirrors the "politics" of modern astrology, in a polite way. Other astrology books Estelle likes (but not necessarily for everyone) Horary Astrology, Plain and Simple, by Anthony Louis. Estelle's favorite Horary text. Horary astrology is the astrology of divination: you ask a question, the astrologer casts a chart for the date, time and place they are when they have the question communicated to them, and contained in the chart is the nature of the question and the outcome. Sounds a bit complicated, and it is, but elegant also. This is the best modern horary book available today. Estelle also likes Lily, but that was published in the 17th century and is a bit hard to read. Louis incorporates a lot of Lily, and other good techniques which have stood the test of time. A very "by the book" type of horary which uses the classical rules and basic stuff, but which gives good results. Just like Estelle does (hence the bias). A to Z Horoscope Maker and Delineator, by Llewellyn George, the editions from ca. 1946 through ca. 1976. This was the only "real" astrology book available when Estelle was learning astrology. It's big and the index stinks and you have to wade through to find some of the weird and neat stuff (Part 5 is the best for that), but there is gold in here. Don't bother with the more modern "revised and updated" editions, they took the good stuff out, IMHO. It's fairly easily available used, but make sure you get the right date edition. You want the Pluto stuff, but before it was revised and updated. Ignore the directions for calculating charts or anything else. Just take the explanatory and interpretive text and go to town. The General Principles of Astrology, by Aleister Crowley with Evangeline Adams, edited by Hymenaeus Beta. Evangeline Adams was at one time America's foremost (and richest) astrologer. She hired Crowley to write two general astrology books for her. The manuscripts were written 1915-1916 and delivered, but she and Crowley ended up in a dispute, so the books were published under her name only, after she edited and sanitized the text. Those books, Astrology, Your Place in the Sun (1927) and Astrology, Your Place Among the Stars (1930) were best-sellers for decades. Here are the original manuscripts (as far as possible) recreated and re-published along with various letters, articles and commentary about how this book came to be. Realize it's Crowley's voice, so there will be vitriol, sometimes sexist and other possibly offensive statements, but there is real gold here. Crowley was one hell of an astrologer, and this book shows it. Except for the dated language and ideas (relatively few), this book reads very contemporarily. It can sound a bit pompous at times, but astrology is a sacred science, and that is the origin of the pomposity, overblown reverence. There are also cross-correspondences to Tarot, Kabbalah and other magickal disciplines. Crowley does not pull punches, but for those who can take it, it's real solid stuff, some of which cannot be found elsewhere. This book is $80 retail, which is quite pricey, but you can get at a discount on amazon.com, so try there first. It's worth the investment, if you are serous about learning astrology. These are a few of the most commonly-available astrology books that Estelle recommends. She also recommends you get an ephemeris and possibly an astrological datebook/wall calendar: Estelle likes Jim Maynard's Pocket Astrologer, Celestial Guide and Celestial Influences, all published by Quicksilver Productions. They have the basic planets and aspects (which Estelle likes for horary—others may prefer other things). They now have have a website, www.QuicksilverProductions.com and their products are readily available on the web and in bookstores. Llewellyn also publishes similar products which are also very good. They include the asteroids and other aspects, so they are better for general astrology, and less for pure horary. It's a matter of taste.

Page last updated Tuesday, October 28, 2008