Discoveries and Opinions of Galileo

Discoveries and Opinions of Galileo
by Galileo Galilei

Discoveries and Opinions of Galileo
List Price: $14.00
Our Price: $2.00
You Save: $12.00 (86%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


or

Book Summary Information

Author: Galileo Galilei
Translator: Stillman Drake
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1957-03-01
ISBN: 0385092393
Number of pages: 320
Publisher: Anchor

Book Reviews of Discoveries and Opinions of Galileo

Book Review: Galileo's Ideas and Their Defense
Summary: 5 Stars

The Discoveries and Opinions of Galileo consists of four works by Galileo Galilei: The Starry Messenger, Letters on Sunspots, Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina, and The Assayer. They are each wonderfully translated by Stillman Drake. He omits unnecessary parts of the texts, to prevent verbosity or boredom, while still giving the reader the full sense of each work. Drake is a professor of the History of Science at the University of Toronto. Before each of Galileo's works, Drake gives an introduction which details the circumstances and events prompting Galileo to take up the pen. Drake presents an excellent history of the times and atmosphere along with the political forces that permeated the setting of early seventeenth century Italian academia. One gets a real feel for what Galileo was up against in presenting his ideas in the face of ecclesiastical and philosophical opposition.

The Starry Messenger is Galileo's account of his first uses of his homemade telescope. He details his observations of the four newly discovered moons of Jupiter and several stars that can now be seen with the telescope. His Letters on Sunspots are a retort to another astronomer's theories on the nature of the phenomenon. In the Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina, Galileo puts up a staunch defense to the church in his adopting the Copernican heliocentric model of the universe. After being banned from teaching this opinion, Galileo makes a suave effort to communicate his ideas in a defense on the nature of comets in The Assayer.

This is the story of Galileo verses old dogma. One cannot help but sympathize with Galileo in his frustration in communicating what he believed to be true. In light of our current knowledge of the solar system and the logical arguments Galileo puts forth it is hard not to feel a bit of the same frustration. This book is a great treatise on Galileo's ideas and his tenacity in defending them. Galileo's Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems would be an excellent companion to this book. Drake has published a translation of this work also. Galileo's thoughts and observations mark a milestone in the history of astronomy, and Drake's book venerates the man and his teachings.

Summary of Discoveries and Opinions of Galileo

Directing his polemics against the pedantry of his time, Galileo, as his own popularizer, addressed his writings to contemporary laymen. His support of Copernican cosmology, against the Church's strong opposition, his development of a telescope, and his unorthodox opinions as a philosopher of science were the central concerns of his career and the subjects of four of his most important writings. Drake's introductory essay place them in their biographical and historical context.

Astronomy Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Astronomy Books
Upper Atmosphere Models and Research ImageUpper Atmosphere Models and Research
by Michael J. Rycroft
Pergamon Pr; Published: 1989-12-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $89.00
Lunar Science: Index, 1970-78: Conference Proceedings ImageLunar Science: Index, 1970-78: Conference Proceedings
by Amanda R Masterson
Pergamon Press; Published: 1979-11; Hardcover; Book
Titius-Bode Law of Planetary Distances: Its History and Theory (Monographs in Natural Philosophy) ImageTitius-Bode Law of Planetary Distances: Its History and Theory (Monographs in Natural Philosophy)
by Michael Martin Nieto
Pergamon Press; Published: 1972-08-17; Hardcover; Book
Elements of Literature, 6th Course: Literature of Britain with World Classics ImageElements of Literature, 6th Course: Literature of Britain with World Classics
by Jay Pasachoff
Holt, Rinehart and Winston; Published: 2000-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $47.00
The Jupiter Effect ImageThe Jupiter Effect
by John Gribbin, Isaac Asimov
HarperCollins Publishers; Published: 1977-02-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $372.87
Planetary System - Textbook Only ImagePlanetary System - Textbook Only
by David Morrison
Addison-Wesley Longman, Incorporated; Published: 2003; Paperback; Book
Best price: $317.36
Night Sky (Collins Watch Guide) ImageNight Sky (Collins Watch Guide)
by Liz (ed) Bourne
Harpercollins Pub Ltd; Published: 1999-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $66.40
The Universe in a Nutshell ImageThe Universe in a Nutshell
by Stephen William Hawking
Baker and Taylor; Bantam; Published: 2001-11-06; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.50
Price in other shops: $35.00
The Cambridge Star Atlas ImageThe Cambridge Star Atlas
by Wil Tirion
Cambridge University Press; Published: 2001-03-26; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $132.93
A Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe: Mathematical Archetypes of Nature, Art, and Science ImageA Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe: Mathematical Archetypes of Nature, Art, and Science
by Michael S. Schneider
HarperPerennial; Published: 1995-09-29; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.77
Price in other shops: $18.99
Similar Books and other products
The Koran (Penguin Classics) ImageThe Koran (Penguin Classics)
by Anonymous
Penguin Classics; Published: 2004-09-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.66
Price in other shops: $13.00
The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA ImageThe Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA
by James D. Watson
Touchstone; Published: 2001-06-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.28
Price in other shops: $15.95
Darwin (Norton Critical Editions) (3rd Edition) ImageDarwin (Norton Critical Editions) (3rd Edition)
W. W. Norton & Company; Published: 2000-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $15.11
St. Thomas Aquinas on Politics and Ethics (Norton Critical Editions) ImageSt. Thomas Aquinas on Politics and Ethics (Norton Critical Editions)
by Thomas Aquinas
W. W. Norton & Company; Published: 1987-11-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.62
The Aeneid (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) ImageThe Aeneid (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
by Virgil
Penguin Classics; Published: 2008-01-29; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.90
Price in other shops: $16.00
Genesis: Translation and Commentary ImageGenesis: Translation and Commentary
W. W. Norton & Company; Published: 1997-09-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.04
Price in other shops: $17.95
The Republic: A New Translation ImageThe Republic: A New Translation
by Plato
W. W. Norton & Company; Published: 1996-08-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.98
Price in other shops: $14.95
The Inferno ImageThe Inferno
by Dante
Anchor; Published: 2002-01-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.21
Price in other shops: $17.00
Othello (Norton Critical Editions) ImageOthello (Norton Critical Editions)
by William Shakespeare
W. W. Norton & Company; Published: 2003-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.49
Confessions (Penguin Classics) ImageConfessions (Penguin Classics)
by Augustine
Penguin Classics; Published: 1961-11-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.95
Price in other shops: $10.00