The Eye of Heaven: Ptolemy, Copernicus, Kepler (Masters of Modern Physics) [Hardcover]

Owen Gingerich (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0883188635 | ISBN-13: 978-0883188637 | Publication Date: May 1, 1997

In this collection Gingerich focuses on the transformation of astronomy from Ptolemy's geocentrisim to Kepler's remoulding of Copernican cosmology. Several of Gingerich's favourite themes are illuminated: the importance of historical context in the study of science, the careful examination of work habits as a key to understanding, and the role of creativity and artistry in science. The work includes Dr Gingerich's well-known and influential essay on crisis versus aesthetic in the Copernican revolution, a look at Newton's "Principia" as a work of art, and one of Gingerich's most popular pieces, "The Computer versus Kepler".

Product Details

• Hardcover: 458 pages
• Publisher: Springer (May 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0883188635
• ISBN-13: 978-0883188637
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #805,487 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Required reading!, June 7, 2001

By 

Helmer Aslaksen (Singapore) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Eye of Heaven: Ptolemy, Copernicus, Kepler (Masters of Modern Physics) (Hardcover)

This book is essential for anybody who wants to understand what Ptolemy, Copernicus and Kepler really did. It's a bit more technical than "The Great Copernicus Chase", but if you're serious, you'll appreciate it.

And if you're really serious, you'll get a copy of the paper by James Evans in Am. J. Phys 56 (Nov, 1988) 1009-1024. It answered tons of technical questions for me. Just do it, you'll thank me (and Jim Evans!).

1.0 out of 5 stars Why is Kindle Edition so expensive? (review applies only to Kindle Edition), December 30, 2011

By 

C. Miller - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Eye of Heaven: Ptolemy, Copernicus, Kepler (Masters of Modern Physics) (Kindle Edition)

I don't get it. The Kindle edition price is very high. No paper, no ink, no binding, no shipping costs incurred by Amazon. Yet their asking price is similar to the hard copy. Is anyone else bothered by this?

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Eye of Heaven: Ptolemy, Copernicus, Kepler, June 26, 2007

By 

Stuart Godfrey "Stuart Godfrey" (Hobart, Tas, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Eye of Heaven: Ptolemy, Copernicus, Kepler (Masters of Modern Physics) (Hardcover)

I bought this book because I am hoping to write a book myself, giving a thumbnail sketch of history relevant to today's climate science (including Global Warming) from the Ancient Egyptians through Newton and Foucault and into the present. Real meteorology started 7 years after Foucault's work, as a direct result of what was learned from Foucault's pendulum.

I am a climate scientist, not an historian, so I have a steep learning curve to write such a book.I had previously obtained Toomer's magnificent translation of Ptolemy's "Almagest" (it shows Ptolemy to have been the world's first full-on theoretical physicist, and a magnificent teacher). I knew Toomer valued Gingerich highly, so I bought Gingerich's book. It has not disappointed. It has helped me to understand Ptolemy's fairly opaque book much better, and has also given me a much better appreciation of Copernicus the man.
I would have liked it if Gingerich had described Brahe in the same way -- we scientists value observations first, then theory -- and Ivar Peterson's "Newton's Clock" does a better job on Kepler. Nevertheless, I nearly gave this book five stars, not four.