Derek Walters (1) (1936–)

Like Western astrology, there's more to Chinese astrology than just the twelve signs of its zodiac. But unlike Western astrology, there aren't many books in English that can teach you how to go deeper than "you were born in the Year of the Ox." Yes, this is one of those books. Walters, who has written other books on Chinese astrology and feng shui, has explained the calculation of a Chinese horoscope as well as anyone. He breaks the calculations down into several steps and his instructions allow readers to put together a horoscope by looking up all the information in a series of tables and then referring to some basic interpretations.

I'm only giving this book 2½ stars, however, because it tries to cover too much territory and ends up a bit of a jumbled mess. I'm not sure how much of this is Walters' writing and how much his publisher is responsible for. Walters starts with descriptions of the twelve animals, how they relate to each other, and what their upcoming years are likely to bring. He then explains some horoscope calculations, goes back and describes more about the animals, introduces 28 more animals, does more calculations, and concludes with a overview of how Chinese astrology affects other aspects of Chinese culture. The book is fully illustrated in color, but most of the pictures look like stock photos and clip art, and lots of the latter are reused throughout the book. I know that a book that's called The Chinese Astrology Bible should try to cover as much of the topic as possible, but I would've preferred more about the horoscopes themselves and fewer tangents.… (altro)