or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
Express Checkout with PayPhrase
What's this? | Create PayPhrase
More Buying Choices
25 used & new from $50.61

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Ptolemy's Almagest
 
See larger image
 

Ptolemy's Almagest (Paperback)

~ (Author), G. J. Toomer (Translator), Owen Gingerich (Foreword)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

List Price: $75.00
Price: $50.62 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details
You Save: $24.38 (33%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Want it delivered Tuesday, November 17? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
12 new from $50.62 13 used from $50.61

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
  Hardcover, April 30, 1984 -- -- --
  Paperback, October 18, 1998 $50.62 $50.62 $50.61
  Unknown Binding, December 31, 1954 -- -- --

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with The History and Practice of Ancient Astronomy by James Evans

Ptolemy's Almagest + The History and Practice of Ancient Astronomy
Price For Both: $115.14

Show availability and shipping details

  • This item: Ptolemy's Almagest by Ptolemy

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details

  • The History and Practice of Ancient Astronomy by James Evans

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Works of Archimedes

The Works of Archimedes

by Archimedes
5.0 out of 5 stars (3)  $16.47
On The Revolutions of Heavenly Spheres (On the Shoulders of Giants)

On The Revolutions of Heavenly Spheres (On the Shoulders of Giants)

by Nicolaus Copernicus
4.4 out of 5 stars (5)  $10.52
Ptolemy: Tetrabiblos (Loeb Classical Library No. 435)

Ptolemy: Tetrabiblos (Loeb Classical Library No. 435)

by Ptolemy
5.0 out of 5 stars (3)  $19.20
The Principia : Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy

The Principia : Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy

by Sir Isaac Newton
4.8 out of 5 stars (23)  $33.75
Euclid's Elements

Euclid's Elements

by T.L. Heath Translation
4.9 out of 5 stars (17)  $21.21
Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

Review

"On the whole the accuracy and faithfulness to the original, including the small but important matter of a scrupulous adherence to Ptolemy's own mathematical notations, are exemplary." -- G.E.R. Lloyd, The Times Literary Supplement

On the whole the accuracy and faithfulness to the original, including the small but important matter of a scrupulous adherence to Ptolemy's own mathematical notations, are exemplary. -- Review


Review

G.J. Toomer's new English edition of Ptolemy's classic treatise is more than just a fresh translation.... What Toomer has produced is the best edition in any language, one that will remain the standard preferred text for years to come.
(Nature )

On the whole the accuracy and faithfulness to the original, including the small but important matter of a scrupulous adherence to Ptolemy's own mathematical notations, are exemplary.
(G.E.R. Lloyd The Times Literary Supplement )

Product Details

  • Paperback: 693 pages
  • Publisher: Princeton University Press (October 19, 1998)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0691002606
  • ISBN-13: 978-0691002606
  • Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #199,703 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category: (What's this?)

    #33 in  Books > Nonfiction > Foreign Language Nonfiction > More Languages > Greek

More About the Author

Ptolemy
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Visit Amazon's Ptolemy Page

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?


Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
 
(2)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

 

Customer Reviews

5 Reviews
5 star:
 (5)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A new look at the universe, June 27, 2001
By Adella L. Thompson "artymesia" (Bellingham, Washington United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
The main desire of Ptolemy in writing his Almagest is to explain and account for the motions of the apparently erratic celestial beings in terms of perfect and circular motions. In doing so he introduces the epicyclic (which states that the center of a smaller circle orbits around the earth and the object orbits around the smaller circle) and the eccentric hypotheses (which supposes that the center of the circular motion of the planet is not exactly centered on the earth), which are ultimatly equivalent to eachother in terms of result. Begining with the motion of the sun in the sky and moving on to the less accountable outer planets, Ptolemy moves his mathematics brilliantly with a nod to a story teller's art. Some may find his introduction of his equant (something that is often said to defile his principles of perfect motion), which explains the retrogradation of the outer planets, to be a let down to the fanfare of perfection in the stars. Yet, overall, the Almagest manages to recapture the magic and wonder of the universe through complicated mathematical hypotheses and to succesfully lay the ground for the break throughs of Copernicus, Brahe, and Kepler to come. If you are at all interested in astronomy or mathematics, you ought to read this.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
8 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Translation, November 24, 2004
By Marc (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews
Adding to the other comment below about star names beginning with "al-," I might add that the title "Almagest" itself is an Arabic translation of the original Greek "Megale Syntaxis."
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Ptolemy's "Almagest", July 4, 2006
It's a very interesting astronomy book, it's explain how they've thought about the motion of the planets(epicycles)in the past(AC)by the time of the Ptolemy and Babylonia.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars epicycle
so it turns out that the center of the eccentric circle that the planets travel on travels on its own circle but be careful this is not a giant epicycle on a small deferent... Read more
Published on October 10, 2003 by xagbx

5.0 out of 5 stars compares favourably with the Tetrabiblos
The mathematics is difficult to follow, but as it is developed from Euclid and Eratosthenes it is reliable. Read more
Published on November 8, 1999

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   




Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)


Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject

 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.