Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning is an 1899 book by Richard Hinckley Allen that discusses the names of stars, constellations, and their histories.

Richard Hinckley Allen (1838, Buffalo, New York – 1908, Northampton, Massachusetts) was a gifted polymath and amateur naturalist; his wide range of interests caused his friends to nickname him "the walking encyclopedia." His youthful ambition to pursue astronomy was thwarted by poor eyesight, and he became a moderately successful businessman instead. He continued in scientific pursuits as a hobby for the rest of his life.^[1]

First published in 1899 as Star-Names and Their Meanings,^[2] this work collected the origins of the names of stars and constellations from a panoply of sources, some primary but most secondary.^{[citation needed]} It also briefly retells the various myths and folklore connected with stars in the Greco-Roman tradition, as well as in the Arabic, Babylonian, Indian and Chinese traditions (for which, however, some modern criticism^{[who?][citation needed]} having taken it to task, claiming it to be largely superseded).^{[citation needed]}

The book also provides some cursory details about astronomy, at the knowledge level of the end of the 19th century.^{[citation needed]} Similarly, astrology and its history are dealt with briefly in the introduction,^{[citation needed]} and some other basic astrological references (although downplayed) are scattered throughout the book.^{[citation needed]}

Late historian of astronomy Paul Kunitzsch^[3] notes that the "book may be taken as a handbook summing up the state of knowledge arrived at by his time," but that to standards current to his 1979 publication, it was generally unreliable with regard to star names and their derivations.^{[4][verification needed]} Science fiction writers/editors Algis Budrys and Frederik Pohl called Star Names "a fine book (but hardly 'hammock reading')", in a 1965 review.^[5] In an assessment by amateur classicist Bill Thayer,^[6] the book was presented as mostly accurate in its explanations of Greek and Latin star names, although containing minor historical errors, and overestimates of the age of some Greek temples.^[7] It was also criticised with regard to star names by Gary D. Thompson, an amateur astronomer who maintains its discussion of Arabic, Mesopotamian, and Egyptian constellations and star names are likewise especially unreliable.^[8]

There is no direct modern equivalent, although Ian Ridpath deals with traditional Greek and Roman constellation mythology,^[9] while Short Guide to Modern Star Names by Paul Kunitzsch and Tim Smart (Otto Harrassowitz, 1986)^[10] is an authoritative source on the origin of star names.

• History of the constellations

• Allen's Star Names at LacusCurtius