Though the spectacular sight of a total solar eclipse feels like a rare experience, on a planetary scale, the average time between two such events is just 18 months , with some occurring much closer together. This excerpt from the book goes as far back as ancient Greece, where we learn of the "immoral, foul-mouthed and violent" soldier and poet Archilochus, who gave us the first written account of a total solar eclipse. is the first-known account of a total solar eclipse. (and then first in Babylonia after millennia of recording celestial phenomena and their associated omens), it was impossible to predict with any accuracy when a total solar eclipse would occur. Reaktion Books Solar Eclipses View at reaktionbooks.co.uk William Sheehan's book is a fascinating insight into the history of solar eclipses and the impact it had on civilizations long before we understood what was happening in the skies above us.