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Nicolaus Copernicus

On The Revolutions of Heavenly Spheres (On the Shoulders of Giants) Paperback – December 1, 2004

by Nicolaus Copernicus (Author), Stephen Hawking (Author)

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New to our On the Shoulders of Giants series, this groundbreaking work of astronomy proposed a heliocentric universe in which planets orbited the sun-daring to challenge the Ptolemaic ideal of the earth as the center of the universe. This essay by Copernicus (1473-1543), revolutionized the way we look at the earth's placement in the universe, and paved the way for many great scientists, including Galileo and Isaac Newton, whose theories stemmed from this model. Featuring a biography of Copernicus and an accessible, enlightening introduction, both written by the renowned physicist Stephen Hawking, On the Revolution of Heavenly Spheres provides a fascinating look at the theories which shaped our modern understanding of astronomy and physics.

Print length

408 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Running Press
Publication date

December 1, 2004
Dimensions

6 x 1.25 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

0762420219
ISBN-13

978-0762420216
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Stephen Hawking's ability to make science understandable and compelling to a lay audience was established with the publication of his first book, A Brief History of Time, which has sold nearly 10 million copies in 40 languages. Hawking has authored or participated in the creation of numerous other popular science books, including On the Shoulders of Giants and The Illustrated On the Shoulders of Giants.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Running Press; Complete Numbers Starting with 1, 1st Ed edition (December 1, 2004)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 408 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0762420219
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0762420216
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.41 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.25 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,802,430 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #7,280 in Astronomy (Books)

Customer Reviews:
90 ratings

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5 star		75%
4 star		15%
3 star		3%
2 star		4%
1 star		3%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Mindo'ermatter

Key Exerpts from Complete Work

Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2019

Verified Purchase

Information provided in this incomplete presentation includes those of greater interest and probability the most revolutionary at the time. The preliminary sections provide historical context. The translation is generally easy to understand. The original work comprised six books within one volume, while this edition has portions of two.

There are at least three possible explanations for the missing information: (a) the publisher had an incomplete original, (b) the photocopying was poorly done, or (c) the most significant parts were excerpted for simplicity or for a specific course of study.

Although the book description correctly states the length at 56 pages, the abrupt ending of the text mid chapter without explanation was disappointing and misleading.

Recommend that "About this book" information be updated to be more transparent about what is actually included.

Some basic understanding of geometry will help with more technical sections; however, they key elements of his famous heliocentric theory is well represented without needing too much math background.

The included diagrams a expandable in the Kindle version, allowing closer scrutiny.

In its current format, this version is appropriate for those wanting an English introduction to the theory's early publication.

4 people found this helpful

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Tatay Emoven

Copernicus states he has no proof only a desire to include his 7 pet assumptions.

Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2019

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Copernicus was a worshipping the Sun god, the "light bearer", the son of the morning. He calls the sun "our visible God" and says he places the sun at the center on philiosophical grounds not because of scientific observation. He freely admits he selected 7 assumptions, 7 factors which he wanted to be the basis for his theory then constructed a model based upon the chosen assumptions not upon any evidence.
Straight from his own words.

4 people found this helpful

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Richard Dengrove

A classic where you will benefit from even a partial reading

Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2014

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Copernicus turns out to be a different person than what I thought. A man a hundred or two hundred years ahead of his time in astronomy. Not only do the planets go around the Sun, but the stars are an indefinite distance from us. All he had done was go with his observations, and not push some religion or philosophy. Unfortunately, he lost me on the geometry and his explanation of it. That is why I gave it a lower rating for myself than I would have otherwise. In short, his problem was having to prove everything. Good in scientist but I lack the training or the inclination to figure it out. I would clearly recommend this to specialists. I would be a little reluctant to recommend it to lay persons such as myself, unless they had enthusiasm and stick-to-it-iveness. I guess that is why so many histories of astronomy reveal the author did not read this original work.

3 people found this helpful

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Roberto Rigolin F Lopes

Copernicus igniting the scientific revolution

Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2017

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We are in 1543, Copernicus figured out that earth isn't at the center of the universe because the motion of other heavenly spheres weren't concentric with earth. His hypothesis is based on careful observations together with geometrical arguments. Hey, here, he is writing to the Pope triggering the scientific revolution! Popcorn goes very well with this book but the cover says: "Let no one untrained in geometry enter here".

4 people found this helpful

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John W. Fowler

This is an excellent translation of an epoch-making book

Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2015

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Of course it is not a "story", but I checked "third person" because that's the standard for technical writing. This is an excellent translation of an epoch-making book, and like Newton's Principia, there is great value in seeing what is contained in the original. Some surprising humor is to be found in the Introduction (which is now believed to have been written by a friend of Copernicus). Clearly Copernicus anticipated repercussions from the religious authorities, and part of the interest in the book is seeing how he sets up his defenses in advance.

4 people found this helpful

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Drd42

Amazing work anytime; more incredible for his times.

Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2019

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Great opportunity to see the words of an amazing scientist as written. I assume translation is accurate. Impressive what he did and equally that he published to the church heads. Not a trivial decision at that time. I admit to not working through all the geometry.

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Dave A

Good addition to a scientifically philosophical library

Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2018

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Great book. Well translated, and relatively low level. A great insight into the brilliance of Copernicus, and a reminder that, despite the lack of knowledge at the time, people hundreds of years ago were just as intelligent as those today.

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Christian J. Schwindt

One of the greatest minds of all time

Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2014

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Impressive. What can one say? One of the greatest minds of all time. I ask myself "would i have been capable of such disciplined analysis and thought given the tools of the day?" A great read, humbling.

7 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Mr. Alan Craggs

Outlines his lack of confidence when stating counter dogmatic theory ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 4, 2017

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Outlines his lack of confidence when stating counter dogmatic theory and his constant attempts to save the phenomena throughout his reasoning. However, it remains an incredible witness to the beginning of the introduction of scientific fact in the explanation of accepted divine texts.

Amazon Customer

Revolutions.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 6, 2020

Verified Purchase

A very difficult book to translate, but this one is good for all and especially scientist.

G. Fairhurst

excellent book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 5, 2011

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excellent book at a very reasonable price, I am pleased with the purchase and I would recommend this product as a true bargain.

Batman Fanatic

The Legend of the Universe....

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 5, 2015

Verified Purchase

Nicolaus Copernicus....What can I say! One of the or The greatest man ever lived on the planet Earth. Copernicus and Galileo have been an inspiration to me since my childhood. The research and observations he did without proper equipment are incredible. The theories and calculations he did in the book are amazing. We never get to see the greatest minds in history likes of Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, Ramanujan etc... but they gave their wisdom to us and to enjoy the benefits of their labour. Many people come into this world but only few people leave behind their image for us to remember. These people will be remembered as long as the Human kind exists!

In other words, this book changed the course of history of Human kind and the Astronomy. It is a must have book for anyone interested in Astronomy, Mathematics or Philosophy!

4 people found this helpful

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On The Revolutions of Heavenly Spheres (On the Shoulders of Giants) Paperback – December 1, 2004

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