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The Book Nobody Read
Chasing the Revolutions of Nicolaus Copernicus
Owen Gingerich

Reviews of The Book Nobody Read

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"Although lacking the murder, mayhem, and mysticism of such bestsellers as The Da Vinci Code or Rule of Four (Dial Press, 2004) by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason, Gingerich's book inadvertently echoes their exciting prose with historical tails of intrigue, heresy, and great discovery.� However, his work surpasses these novels by giving us actual history and real world puzzles in the place of the pseudoscholarship of the potboilers."— Physics Today

Review: May 2005 "[A] uniquely fascinating work...Its subject is enthralling; its author sounds delightful... Even the most flaccid (and astronomically illiterate) reader will be won over by the delights and disappointments of Gingerich's trail...The most interesting parts of Gingerich's...book illustrate how immensely difficult it was for scientists, philosophers and theologians of the day to adjust to the idea that their earth was not, after all, the centre of the universe... Professor Gingerich's exuberant search is in itself a sort of allegory, for it bridges in our minds the gap between a world that assumed the love of God to be the energy that turned the spheres, and a world that can land a TV camera on Mars, and summon its pictures to our firesides as easily as EastEnders." —Jan Morris, New Statesman

"...a fascinating story of a scholar as sleuth. [Gingerich's] enthusiasm for what might be judged a rather fine point of history is infectious. His book deserves to be read not only by historians and bibliophiles, but by anyone with a taste for arcane detective adventures and a curiosity about the motivations of scholarly perseverance."—John Noble Wilford, The New York Times Book Review

"This book is a scholarly self-indulgence...This is a literary adventure story... In the pursuit he tells a powerful story of the decades during which a cosmology fashioned from Christian dogma gave way to another based on systematic observation and rigorous logic... This is a book to tell you about ellipses, equants and epicycles, about rare bindings, and the bookworm also known as the silverfish. First published in hardback last year, this book is solid gold." —Guardian

"Part travelogue, part detective story, his quest illuminates the power of books." — Daily Mail

"This 30-year quest for the truth reads like a scientific whodunit, encompassing several continents, dozens of libraries, monasteries, and private collections, making this zesty book a must." —Good Book Guide

"Gingerich...has patched together some amazing stories. Gingerich writes a mean detective story. His pacing is good and his sidetracks, diversions and anecdotes offer insights into the world of Copernicus as well as the revolution in astronomy, the workings of papal Rome and the process by which the world came to accept that the sun, not the earth, was the centre of the cosmos." — Daily Telegraph

"This absorbing work of popular science... His account interweaves astronomy, the history of printing, the Reformation, the Papal Index (Roman Catholics were banned from reading Copernicus until 1835) and finally, the FBI." —Independent

"What makes this a book nobody who loves the history of astronomy or the book-trade can put down is its compelling narrative and rich interweaving of strands personal and historical. It is a memoir, a detective story, a travelogue, a primer on bibliophilia, a chronicle of the early reception of Copernicanism, and an authoritative, compact compendium of Copernican studies over the past four decades--all underpinned by deep scholarship that academics will value and energized by brisk story-telling that almost any reader can appreciate."—Journal for the History of Astronomy

"In 1543, a Polish astronomer by the name of Nicolaus Copernicus had just published " De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of Heavenly Spheres)", one of the most influential books in human history. He had waited to publish the manuscript, written in 1514, until the end of his life, fully aware how revolutionary and dangerous it was to the Church and the continent it dominated. The book itself is difficult to read because of the obtuse methods of mathematical proof in use at the time. Arthur Koestler in his bestselling history of astronomy, "Sleepwalkers", called it "the book nobody read". Science historian Owen Gingerich read this, and happened to come upon a prolifically annotated original copy of the book, proving that at least one person had in fact read it rather closely. He decided to prove Koestler wrong by tracking down every single surviving copy of "De revolutionibus". In the process, Gingerich produced this wonderful book which is simultaneously a science book, a bibliography, a biography, and the archetypical story of a modern quest. It's perfect for science and history buffs, not to mention bibliophiles."—"Netsurfer Recommendation", Netsurfer Digest

"Part detective thriller, part vivid historical biography, it's all fun."—Scientific American

"Gingerich's story of astronomical sleuthing, as he compiled the Census, allows him to introduce readers to the latest scholarship on the crucial formative period of early modern cosmology. His account will interest book lovers and anyone curious about the history of early modern science."—Science Magazine

"...anyone who appreciates the printed word will gallop through [Gingerich's] account of how [Gingerich's An Annotated Census of Copernicus' De Revolutionibus] came to be. THE BOOK NOBODY READ moves around the world like an espionage thriller...Using investigative techniques worthy of Sherlock Holmes, Gingerich has identified the personal copies owned by such figures as Johannes Kepler and Adam Smith...Gingerich describes their lives so vividly that it seems he's met them in the flesh....Spend a few hours with THE BOOK NOBODY READ, which, title notwithstanding, is a book to be read by everybody."—Natural History

"Gingerich makes palpable the excitement of holding a treasured book in one's hands, of piecing together a mystery through arcane and dedicated research, and of allowing a passion to become an obsession....His enthusiasm is contagious and makes his book a quick and enjoyable read. In this age of the Internet and the perception of instant access to any bit of information you need, Gingerich makes one realize that nothing can replace first-hand experience and the thrill of making a discovery on your own."—David B. Williams,

"...a compulsively readable detective story about how one of astronomy's greatest discoveries came about.....Gingerich amasses an amazing publishing story that contradicts our very notion of Copernicus' heresy....He evokes 16th-century life with broad but deft strokes....You need not be a closet astronomer or even a bibliophile to appreciate the excitement Gingerich brings to this story."—John Freeman, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"THE BOOK NOBODY READ is handsome--many of the photographs of various editions were taken by Charles Eames, the designer. The text is a diverting account of scholarly adventures that will interest even readers who cannot figure out the equants and epicyclets by which Copernicus fixed the planetary orbits."—The Wall Street Journal

"...in this happy combination of history, science, and personal memoir, [Gingerich] weaves three tales: a behind-the-scenes view of the research that led to the Census, a portrait of the 16th-century astronomical community, and, finally, the tale of a rare book, including its printing and distribution. Science history buffs and bibliophiles will enjoy this lively story. Recommended for academic and public libraries."— Library Journal, Starred Review

"...one of the most astonishing and obsessive feats of scientific gumshoeing ever undertaken...an utterly fascinating work...The author could not have chosen a more enticing subject...bibliophiles or those interested in the history of science will savor every page."—Chicago Tribune
"—Entertainment Weekly

"Gingerich does a fabulous job of documenting virtually everything there is to know about [De revolutionibus...'s] first and second editions, conclusively demonstrating the impact it had on early astronomical thought. As thoroughly engaging as a good detective story, the book recreates the excitement Gingerich himself felt as he traveled the world examining and making sense of centuries-old manuscripts. There is a rich discussion of techniques for assessing treasures of this sort....Providing great insight into 16th-century science, the book should be equally enjoyed by readers interested in the history of science and in bibliophilia."—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"Gingerich renders even the most esoteric details clear and compelling as he vividly chronicles a quest...in pursuit of 600 original copies of this world-altering book....Gingerich also clarifies exactly what Copernicus got right and wrong and why, and offers fascinating insights into sixteenth-century book production, the religious reception of heliocentrism, and the dark side of the rare-book world in an unprecedented and enlivening tale of scholarly sleuthing, scientific revolution, and purposeful bibliomania."—BOOKLIST, Starred Review

"Owen Gingerich knows how to judge a book—by its readers. In this exuberant tale, he tests the reach and power of Copernicus's revolutionary tract. En route he encounters bookworms and book thieves, book lovers, dealers, and collectors, book restorers and forgers, librarians, auctioneers, even FBI and Interpol agents hunting stolen copies of what has become one of the most expensive books ever written. It is a detective story, a Renaissance flashback, an expose, a true confession, an altogether engrossing, edifying romp through ideas and movable type."—Dava Sobel, author of LongitudeGalileo's Daughter
"In one of the most unusual stories I have ever read, Gingerich recreates the history of thought in sixteenth and seventeenth century Europe from notes scribbled in the margins of several hundred copies of a great book. The account of his academic sleuthing is a treasure of information, intellectual history, and personal passion." —Alan Lightman, author of Einstein's Dreams

"In this truly astonishing book, Owen Gingerich combines the skills of a literary detective, the passions of a first-rate historian and the prose of a superb writer to solve a 450-year-old mystery." —Doris Kearns Goodwin, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and author of No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor RooseveltHomefront in WW11

"The now celebrated—some, at one point several decades ago, might even have suggested quixotic—odyssey of Dr. Owen Gingerich to seek out and examine every known copy of the first and second printings of Nicolaus Copernicus's De revolutionibusA Gentle Madness, Patience & Fortitude, and A Splendor of Letters

"In The Book Nobody Read, eminent historian of science, Owen Gingerich, uses his own census of all extant copies of Copernicus's famous book De revolutionibus

About Owen Gingerich