Gingrich (astronomer emeritus, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory; and astronomy and the history of science, Harvard U.) examines how an intensely technical 16th-century treatise launched a revolution more profound than the Reformation, and how copies have evolved into million-dollar cultural icons. He also recounts his personal experience producing (2002). Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

In 1543, Nicolaus Copernicus, astronomer and "Catholic canon at the Frauenburg [Poland] cathedral," published De revolutionibus (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres), one of the world's greatest and most revolutionary scientific works, explaining that the Earth revolves around the Sun rather than the reverse. Yet many have wondered if this dense and very technical book was actually read by the author's contemporaries. Arthur Koestler, in his bestselling history of astronomy, The Sleepwalkers, called it "the book that nobody read." Gingerich, a Harvard astrophysicist and historian of science, proves Koestler wrong. Gingerich went on a quest to track down every extant copy of the original work, and he does a fabulous job of documenting virtually everything there is to know about its first and second (1566) editions, conclusively demonstrating the impact it had on early astronomical thought. As thoroughly engaging as a good detective story, the book recreates the excitement Gingerich himself felt as he traveled the world examining and making sense of centuries-old manuscripts. There is a rich discussion of techniques for assessing treasures of this sort. Handwriting analysis of marginalia, for example, enabled Gingerich to determine who owned many of the copies and to document how critical new ideas spread across Europe and beyond, while an examination of watermarks and glue helps demonstrate whether books have been altered. Providing great insight into 16th-century science, the book should be equally enjoyed by readers interested in the history of science and in bibliophilia. 8 color, 35 b&w illus. Alternate selection of the History, Library of Science and Reader's Subscription Book Clubs. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Responding to Arthur Koestler's comment in The Sleepwalkers: A History of Man's Changing Vision of the Universe that "nobody read" Copernicus's great De Revolutionibus, astronomer Gingerich (history of science, Harvard Univ.) recounts his search for every known copy of the first and second editions. By deciphering annotations in those copies, Gingerich traced the dissemination of Copernicus's geometrical book that supported a heliocentric model for the solar system, showing that it was carefully read, studied, and built upon by the astronomer's 16th-century contemporaries. Gingerich published the result of this detective work in An Annotated Census of Copernicus' De Revolutionibus, which provided the provenance of all known copies of the first and second editions. Now in this happy combination of history, science, and personal memoir, he weaves three tales: a behind-the-scenes view of the research that led to the Census, a portrait of the 16th-century astronomical community, and, finally, the tale of a rare book, including its printing and distribution. Science history buffs and bibliophiles will enjoy this lively story. Recommended for academic and public libraries. [See also "Chasing After Copernicus's Readers" on p. 102.-Ed.]-Sara Rutter, Univ. of Hawaii Lib. at Manoa, Honolulu (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

At his death in 1543 Copernicus published De Revolutionibus, arguing that the sun, not the Earth, was at the center of the known universe. There were more than 600 copies of two editions that began to interest astronomical historian Gingerich, who set out to scrutinize each copy in libraries and personal collections around the world, partly out of curiosity and partly to judge how widely the book had been read. He engages in intriguing detective work, extending the known provenance of each book to include other owners while tracing its impact on scientific thinking in 16th- and 17th-century Europe. Since many of the copies contained marginal comments and were owned by astronomers, it became apparent from studies of handwriting who the students and professors were, providing insight about the readership. Gingerich explains the formation of watermarks, types of glue, and how papermaking, printing, and binding were accomplished. Gingerich's expertise has been called on to trace prior ownership of stolen copies offered at auction, and he shows that parts of one copy were sometimes used to round out the contents of another copy. Notes (8 pages); good 16-page index; 8 pages in color; 2 appendixes, 1 locating extant copies. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. General readers; upper-division undergraduates through professionals. W. E. Howard III formerly, Universities Space Research Association From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

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Preface	p. vii
Chapter 1. A Day in Court	p. 1
Chapter 2. The Chase Begins	p. 10
Chapter 3. In the Steps of Copernicus	p. 29
Chapter 4. The Lenten Pretzel and the Epicycles Myth	p. 46
Chapter 5. "Embellished by a Distinguished Man"	p. 61
Chapter 6. The Moment of Truth	p. 84
Chapter 7. The Wittich Connection	p. 101
Chapter 8. Bigger Books Linger Longer	p. 113
Chapter 9. Forbidden Games	p. 135
Chapter 10. The Hub of the Universe	p. 152
Chapter 11. The Invisible College	p. 170
Chapter 12. Planetary Influences	p. 186
Chapter 13. Sophisticated Ladies	p. 202
Chapter 14. The Iron Curtain: Before and After	p. 220
Chapter 15. Putting the Census to Bed	p. 239
Epilogue	p. 256
Appendix 1. From Equant to Epicyclet	p. 263
Appendix 2. Locations of De revolutionibus	p. 266
Bibliographic Notes	p. 281
Index	p. 289

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