Product Description

The subject of this book is the Western astronomical tradition from ancient Babylonia to the European Renaissance, with special emphasis on the Greek period. Throughout the book two questions constantly recur: what evidence permits us to reconstruct the astronomy of the ancient past? How was astronony actually practised? The book is meticulously documented and makes full use of primary sources as well as modern historical scholarship. It is richly illustrated and is unusual for its attention to the material culture of ancient astronomy. The most striking aspect of the book is its attention to astronomical practice.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #403272 in Books
• Published on: 1998-11-26
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 496 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
In Ptolemy's The Almagest, the earth is placed at the centre of the universe and the planets move in crystal spheres against a backdrop of the fixed stars. While these ideas have been swept away since the Scientific Revolution, Ptolemy's influence on astronomy was profound and long--we'll be dealing with the Y3K problem before Copernicus' time of influence catches up.

James Evans, historian and astronomer at the University of Puget Sound, believes that "staying close to the practice of astronomy means explaining a subject in enough detail for the reader to understand what the ancient astronomers actually did. As this unique book teaches you to do astronomy the old-fashioned way, you gain a deeper understanding of what the Greeks and their successors thought and did. "There is all the difference in the world between knowing about and knowing how to do," says Evans. The History and Practice of Ancient Astronomy is truly hands-on history and deserves to be widely imitated. --Mary Ellen Curtin, Amazon.com

Mike Dworetsky, Physics World, July 1999
"I highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to know more about the fascinating struggle to bring sense to the celestial sphere and the complicated motions of the planets..."

Review
I highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to know more about the fascinating struggle to bring sense to the celestial sphere and the complicated motions of the planets...If you would like to know more about the technical side of ancient astronomy, this book is for you, and a personal copy would be well worth having. Certainly every university library should have a copy on its shelves. (Mike Dworetsky, Physics World, July 1999 )