A More Perfect Heaven: How Copernicus Revolutionised the Cosmos

Description

The bestselling author of Longitude and Galileo's Daughter tells the story of Nicolaus Copernicus and the revolution in astronomy that changed the world. 'Lively, inventive ... a masterly specimen of close-range cultural history' Wall Street Journal 'Fantastic ... A masterly telling of how Copernicus revolutionised science' The Times In the 1520s a Polish cleric named Nicolaus Copernicus developed a revolutionary theory which placed the Sun, not the Earth, at the centre of our universe. The secret existence of this manuscript tantalised scientists everywhere in Europe. Then in 1539 a young German mathematician, Rheticus, travelled to meet Copernicus in the hope of setting eyes on it. Dava Sobel tells the story of a new concept of the heavens, and how Rheticus persuaded the cautious Copernicus to allow him to take the precious but dangerous manuscript out into a world that it would change for ever. In her compelling style, Dava Sobel chronicles the history of the Copernican Revolution, relating the story of astronomy from Aristotle to the Middle Ages. And as she achieved with her international bestsellers Longitude and Galileo's Daughter, in A More Perfect Heaven, Sobel expands the bounds of popular science writing, giving us an unforgettable portrait of a major step forward in the human knowledge of our universe.

Dava Sobel is the acclaimed author of the bestselling titles Longitude, Galileo's Daughter, The Illustrated Longitude, and The Planets. She lives in East Hampton, New York.

A refreshingly fast-paced account of the life of Nicolaus Copernicus. A More Perfect Heaven does a good job of giving the flavor of life in Reformation-era Europe...an excellent book * Economist * Lively, inventive ... a masterly specimen of close-range cultural history. Ms. Sobel certainly brings Copernicus to life, perhaps better than any other author. Ms. Sobel presents a thoroughly researched and eminently readable account of a major scientist who celebrated the sun yet lurks in the shadows * Wall Street Journal * All the page turning lucidity and brio you would hope for from the creator of Longitude * Boyd Tonkin, Independent * Fantastic ... A masterly telling of how Copernicus revolutionised science * The Times * Sobel is an elegant stylist, a riveting and efficient storyteller, a writer who can bring the dustiest of subjects to full-blooded life * New York Times *