A More Perfect Heaven: How Copernicus Revolutionized the Cosmos by Dava Sobel
By 1514, the reclusive cleric Nicolaus Copernicus had developed an initial outline of his heliocentric theory-in which he defied common sense and received wisdom to place the sun, and not the earth, at the center of our universe, and set the earth spinning among the other planets. Over the next two decades, Copernicus expanded his theory and compiled in secret a book-length manuscript that tantalized mathematicians and scientists throughout Europe. For fear of ridicule, he refused to publish.
In 1539, a young German mathematician, Georg Joachim Rheticus, drawn by rumors of a revolution to rival the religious upheaval of Martin Luther's Reformation, traveled to Poland to seek out Copernicus. Two years later, the Protestant youth took leave of his aging Catholic mentor and arranged to have Copernicus's manuscript published, in 1543, as De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres)-the book that forever changed humankind's place in the universe.
In her elegant, compelling style, Dava Sobel chronicles, as nobody has, the conflicting personalities and extraordinary discoveries that shaped the Copernican Revolution. At the heart of the book is her play "And the Sun Stood Still," imagining Rheticus's struggle to convince Copernicus to let his manuscript see the light of day.
Format: Paperback | 288 pages
Dimensions (cm): 20.9 x 13.9 x 1.9 | 260g
Publication Date: 16 Oct 2012
Publisher: Walker & Company
Publication City/Country: New York, United States
Language: English
Illustrations note: b&w illustrations
Edition Number: 1
ISBN10: 0802778941
ISBN13: 9780802778949
Condition: Good
A book that has been read but is in good condition. Very minimal damage to the cover including very, very minor scuff marks along the edges, but no holes or tears. The majority of pages are undamaged with very minimal creasing but no tearing. No pencil underlining of text, no highlighting of text and no writing in margins. No missing pages.