CHINESE ASTROLOGY by Paula Delsol

The snake, the rat, the cat, the dog

How you gon' see him if you living in the fog?

French New Wave filmmaker (!) and author Paula Delsol presents the ancient arts of the Asiatic necromancers in this handy guide to CHINESE ASTROLOGY! It's translated from the French by Peter and Tanya Leslie, with the English text retaining a lovely blend of the French and Chinese origins. The very charming drawings are by Michel Brunet:

For us younger readers, the Tiger's caption is a take on the midcentury Exxon slogan "put a tiger in your tank!" This guide features the Cat instead of the Rabbit: nowadays the Chinese lunar calendar uses the Rabbit, while the Vietnamese uses the Cat. Delsol says the Japanese favor the Rabbit as well. Ins and outs, odds and evens, swings and roundabouts! 2023 is the year of the Cat/Rabbit, by the way, even though this book didn't project its years out far enough to see - the far flung year of 1996 is as far as we go.

The Dog is a worrier, neurotic and introverted, but also presents "the noblest traits of human nature." Delsol's example is Brigitte Bardot's (born in 1934) campaigns for animal rights. The Pig is chivalrous, scrupulous, a pacifist - but not a weakling! He's often a sensualist. Beware: the Goat will take advantage of him.

Every old astrology guide needed a section on famous people and their signs. The Cat is represented with some heavy hitters in Fidel Castro, Joseph Stalin, Queen Victoria, and Confucius! Would you believe that Jesus Christ was a Dragon? Chinese astrology comes across as very practical, with Delsol outlining its applications in business, relationships, and career choice. It's an attractive system that lends itself to the self help genre, no doubt! Delsol also includes a guide to interpreting how your traditional western sign affects your Chinese sign. For example, if the Cat is a Scorpio? "They're a witch's cat. Watch out for sorcery and spells!" If the Dog is an Aries? "Dog-of-war! Launches himself into the unknown."

This title is available to borrow at archive dot org. Bestselling posthumous prophet Edgar Cayce gets a full back page ad, for more self help at $3.95 a pop.

What are you lookin' at?

Warner Books, 1976 (original pub. 1969)