Theories of the World from Antiquity to the Copernican Revolution

A scientific, historical and philosophical examination of the evolution of astronomical theory towards heliocentricity. Beginning with an introductory chapter on the motion of bodies in space, Crowe (liberal studies, U. of Notre Dame) proceeds to a discussion of Greek astronomy before Ptolemy; the Ptolemaic, Copernican, and Tychonic systems; and the contributions of Kepler and Galileo. Written for a general audience; assumes a high-school mathematical skill-level. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)