The Sleepwalkers: A History of Man's Changing Vision of the Universe (Compass) [Paperback]

Arthur Koestler (Author), Herbert Butterfield (Introduction)

Book Description

Release date: June 5, 1990 | Series: Compass

This title presents a thought-provoking account of the scientific achievements and lives of cosmologists from Babylonians to Newton.

Product Details

• Paperback: 624 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Books (June 5, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140192468
• ISBN-13: 978-0140192469
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 1.4 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #131,563 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in Budapest in 1905, educated in Vienna, Arthur Koestler immersed himself in the major ideological and social conflicts of his time. A communist during the 1930s, and visitor for a time in the Soviet Union, he became disillusioned with the Party and left it in 1938. Later that year in Spain, he was captured by the Fascist forces under Franco, and sentenced to death. Released through the last-minute intervention of the British government, he went to France where, the following year, he again was arrested for his political views. Released in 1940, he went to England, where he made his home. His novels, reportage, autobiographical works, and political and cultural writings established him as an important commentator on the dilemmas of the 20th century. He died in 1983.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

94 of 97 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars a little-known masterpiece April 30, 2001

By Robert J. Crawford TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

A physicist friend told me about this book, endorsing it as the best and most accurate treatment of the elucidation of the motions of the planets. When I picked it up, I found myself transported not just to the early Renaissance, but to Greece, where the story begins with Pythagoras and others. Koestler approached this as a lone intellectual, rather than an acacdemic, which means that he went back and read all the original sources to see things for himself rather than rely on secondary texts. That gave him a vivid feel for what these discoverers thought and did that is sadly absent from most survey histories available.

The result is a unique master work, in which you feel you get to know Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo as well as their classical predecessors. The science is explained as are the dead ends, and some harsh judgements made: Koestler was not timid! He also succeeds is putting the discoveries into context, as the standard against which scientific discovery has come to be measured.

Though I studied this in high school physics, this is what truly made this period come alive for me. I will reread this for years to come.

39 of 41 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A definitive history of Cosmology March 18, 2002

By Ashwin

Format:Paperback

This is book on the history of cosmology - make no mistake. It tries to illustrate Koestlers masterly thesis in the epilogue on the nature of genius and creativity, and the path of scientific progress. The example he uses is the history of cosmology. Having begun his book so, and paying attention to this mode of thought in the introduction, Koestler soon sets down to business

He begins with the Pythagorean brotherhood and delves a little into the man that Pythagoras was, and speaks of the contributions of Plato and Aristotle in this arena. So rigid is Koestlers focus, that this is perhaps the first book which speaks of Plato and Aristotle with reference to only their works in astronomy and completely ignores Socrates, who had no contribution to this field. The book neglects more ancient theories and incorrect faiths. Rather it concentrates with laserlike intensity on the people who made the Science what it is, namely Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, Kepler and Galileo. Once we are through with the Greeks and the intermittent period, the book rapidly moves into a breathtaking narrative, almost biographical, about these giants, on whose shoulder Newton stood and saw further.

Koestler also brings to the reader correspondence and definitive evidence that debunks most of scientific history into the realm of folklore, and shows how different a path cosmological studies have taken. He debunks many old viewpoints and theories and shows the true history of science to be very different. He ends with Newtons arrival on the scene, and leaves us begging for more

In his epilogue, Koestler returns to his construct on sleepwalking and the nature of genius, and in a masterly flourish, the book suddenly picks up pace like never before, and ends leaving the reader wanting to read it all again!

Quite simply a must read, and a must-have book for any book lover

47 of 51 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Koestler is brilliant October 4, 2002

By Robert Adler

Format:Paperback

Arthur Koestler was one of the most remarkable intellects of the twentieth century. In the course of his life and career he experienced and wrote about most of the great movements and changes of his times. Typically, he perceived patterns long before others, inevitably with a truly unique understanding, and wrote about them beautifully.

In The Sleepwalkers, Koestler traced what he thought to be the mainstream of the development of science through exquisitely researched and written biographies of some of science's leading figures. There's no part of the book that isn't well worth reading, but I think that his treatments of Copernicus and Kepler are hair-raisingly insightful.

Readers can confidently expect to put down The Sleepwalkers with increased knowledge and new insights about the history of science and the stellar figures Koestler describes. Still, don't expect a quick read. Koestler thinks and writes in depth, and takes the time to guide readers where he wants to take them.

Robert Adler
Science Writer
Author of Science Firsts: From the Creation of Science to the Science of Creation (John Wiley & Sons, 2002, ISBN 0471401749).