Harmonies of the World (On the Shoulders of Giants, Book 5) - Softcover

Johannes Kepler

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0762420189 ISBN 13: 9780762420186

Publisher: Running Press, 2005

Synopsis

Book Five of Johannes Kepler's great masterpiece on planetary motion is presented with an introduction by the ultimate authority on this topic, noted physicist and bestselling author Stephen Hawking. Modifying Copernicus's sun-centered model of the universe, Kepler's 1619 work went on to establish laws of planetary motion, forming the basis for Newton's discoveries some 60 years later. As part of our On the Shoulders of Giants series, this translation of the original edition of Kepler's monumental essay includes an insightful biography and a highly accessible summary putting into context the significance of Harmony of the World.

About this title

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.

Review:

Harmonices Mundi is one of Johannes Kepler's major works and this translation is a superb work of immense scholarship. Johannes Kepler's The Harmony of the World is divided into five books: One regular polygons; on the congruence of figures; on the origin of harmonic proportions; on harmonic configurations in astrology; on the harmony of the motions of the heavens. As translated from Kepler, "Finite things which are circumscribed and shaped can also be grasped by the mind: infinite and unbounded things, insofar as they are such, can be held in by no bonds of knowledge, which is obtained from definitions, by no bonds of constitutions. For shapes are in the archetype prior to their being in the product; in the divine mind prior to being in creatures, differently indeed in respect of their subject, but the same in the form of their essence. " Using the original figures from Kepler's work, the translators include a careful introduction and meticulous notes. The Harmony Of The World is more than just a major milestone in the history of western thought, it is a seminal work that is still rewarding for the reader even as we are entering the 21st century. -- Midwest Book Review

About this edition

• Publisher: Running Press
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0762420189
• ISBN 13: 9780762420186
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 92
• Editor: Stephen Hawking