Skip to content

The Book Nobody Read Chasing the Revolutions of Nicolaus Copernicus
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Book Nobody Read Chasing the Revolutions of Nicolaus Copernicus Paperback - 2005

by Owen Gingerich

Part biography of a book, part scientific exploration, part bibliographic detective story, The Book Nobody Read recolors the history of cosmology and offers a new appreciation of the enduring power of an extraordinary book and its ideas. Prodded by Arthur Koestler's claim that when it was first published nobody read Copernicus's De revolutionibus in which Copernicus first suggested that the sun, not the earth, was the center of the universe renowned astro-historian Owen Gingerich embarked on a three-decade-long quest to see in person all 600 extant copies of the first and second editions of De revolutionibus, including those owned and annotated by Galileo and Kepler. Tracing the ownership of individual copies through the hands of saints, heretics, scalawags, and bibliomaniacs, Gingerich proves conclusively four and a half centuries after its publication that De revolutionibus was as inspirational as it was revolutionary.


From the publisher

Part biography of a book, part scientific exploration, part bibliographic detective story, The Book Nobody Read recolors the history of cosmology and offers a new appreciation of the enduring power of an extraordinary book--Copernicus's De revolutionibus.

First line

"DO YOU AFFIRM to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"

Details

  • Title The Book Nobody Read Chasing the Revolutions of Nicolaus Copernicus
  • Author Owen Gingerich
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition First Edition
  • Pages 306
  • Language EN
  • Publisher Penguin (Non-Classics), E Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S.A.
  • Date February 22, 2005
  • ISBN 9780143034766

Media reviews

One of the most astonishing and obsessive feats of scientific gumshoeing ever undertaken ... utterly fascinating. (Chicago Tribune)An adventure book, not of the white-knuckle variety, but with a genteel, satisfying tone all its own. (Entertainment Weekly)[An] exuberant tale... an altogether engrossing, edifying romp through ideas and moveable type. (Dava Sobel, author of Longitude and Galileo's Daughter)A compulsively readable detective story about how one of astronomy's greatest discoveries came about. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)A treasure of information, intellectual history, and personal passion. (Alan Lightman, author of Einstein's Dreams)

Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

The Book Nobody Read: Chasing the Revolutions of Nicolaus Copernicus
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Book Nobody Read: Chasing the Revolutions of Nicolaus Copernicus

by Gingerich, Owen

  • Used
Condition
UsedGood
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143034766 / 0143034766
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Rotterdam , New York, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$5.83
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
UsedGood. Shows minimal wear such as frayed or folded edges, minor rips and tears, and/or slightly worn binding. May have stickers and/or contain inscription on title page. No observed missing pages.
Item Price
$5.83
FREE shipping to USA
The Book Nobody Read : Chasing the Revolutions of Nicolaus Copernicus

The Book Nobody Read : Chasing the Revolutions of Nicolaus Copernicus

by Owen Gingerich

  • Used
  • Acceptable
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Acceptable
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143034766 / 0143034766
Quantity Available
3
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.20
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group, 2005. Paperback. Acceptable. Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
$6.20
FREE shipping to USA
The Book Nobody Read : Chasing the Revolutions of Nicolaus Copernicus
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Book Nobody Read : Chasing the Revolutions of Nicolaus Copernicus

by Gingerich, Owen

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143034766 / 0143034766
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Reno, Nevada, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$7.58
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Good. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
$7.58
FREE shipping to USA
The Book Nobody Read: Chasing the Revolutions of Nicolaus Copernicus
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Book Nobody Read: Chasing the Revolutions of Nicolaus Copernicus

by Owen Gingerich

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used: Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143034766 / 0143034766
Quantity Available
1
Seller
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$7.90
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin (Non-Classics), 2005-02-22. Paperback. Used: Good.
Item Price
$7.90
FREE shipping to USA
The Book Nobody Read: Chasing the Revolutions of Nicolaus Copernicus

The Book Nobody Read: Chasing the Revolutions of Nicolaus Copernicus

by Gingerich, Owen

  • Used
  • very good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143034766 / 0143034766
Quantity Available
1
Seller
GORING BY SEA, West Sussex, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 2 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$11.14
$10.86 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Paperback. Very Good.
Item Price
$11.14
$10.86 shipping to USA