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.

He is best remembered for a work called Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning, originally published in 1899 as Star-Names and Their Meanings. This work was based on his extensive research about the names of the stars and constellations in Arabic, Greco-Roman, Chinese, and many other astronomical traditions. It is still considered one of the major works on the history of astronomical nomenclature and is often consulted as a resource on star names by amateur if not by professional astronomers.

[edit] External links

• Richard Hinckley Allen: Star Names — Their Lore and Meaning
• A brief on-line biography can be found here [1]
• Another summary here [2]

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