On the Shoulders of Giants: The Great Works of Physics and Astronomy

by Stephen Hawking

Overview

World-renowned physicist and bestselling author Stephen Hawking presents a revolutionary look at the momentous discoveries that changed our perception of the world with this first-ever compilation of seven classic works on physics and astronomy. His choice of landmark writings by some of the world's great thinkers traces the brilliant evolution of modern science and shows how each figure built upon the genius of his predecessors. On the Shoulders of Giants includes, in their entirety, On the Revolution of Heavenly Spheres by Nicolaus Copernicus; Principia by Sir Isaac Newton; The Principle of Relativity by Albert Einstein; Dialogues Concerning Two Sciences by Galileo Galilei with Alfonso De Salvio; plus Mystery of the Cosmos, Harmony of the World, and Rudolphine Tables by Johannes Kepler. It also includes five critical essays and a biography of each featured physicist, written by Hawking himself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780762416981
Publisher:	Running Press Book Publishers
Publication date:	12/25/2003
Pages:	1280
Sales rank:	128,069
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.12(h) x 2.50(d)

About the Author

Stephen Hawking was one of the most highly celebrated and recognized scientists who has ever lived. He first came to mainstream prominence with the publication of A Brief History of Time, and followed with a second triumph, The Universe in a Nutshell, and most recently, The Grand Design. The media has called Hawking "the most intelligent man in the world today" and "the scientific heir to Einstein, Newton, and Galileo." He lived in Cambridge, England.

Hometown:

Cambridge, England

Date of Birth:

January 8, 1942

Date of Death:

March 14, 2018

Place of Birth:

Oxford, England

Table of Contents

	Introduction	IX
	Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543)
	His Life and Work	1
	On the Revolution of Heavenly Spheres	7
	Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)
	His Life and Work	391
	Dialogues Concerning Two New Sciences	399
	Johannes Kepler (1571-1630)
	His Life and Work	627
	Harmony of the World, Book Five	635
	Sir Isaac Newton (1643-1727)
	His Life and Work	725
	Principia	733
	Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
	His Life and Work	1161
	Selections from The Principle of Relativity	1167
	Acknowledgements	1265

Editorial Reviews

The words of the title derive from a famous passage in a letter by scientist Isaac Newton. "If I have seen further," Newton wrote, "it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants." Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, himself a renowned far-sighted thinker, has compiled an anthology of the seven great classics in astronomy and physics. To each of these masterworks, Hawking adds an introductory essay that shows how each was built on previous discoveries. In addition, the author of A Brief History of Time provides penetrating biographies of Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Newton, and Einstein.

bn.com

Acclaimed physicist Hawking has collected in this single illuminating volume the classic works of physics and astronomy that in their day revolutionized humankind's perception of the world. Included are Copernicus's On the Revolution of Heavenly Spheres, Galileo's Dialogues Concerning Two New Sciences, Kepler's "Harmony of the World," Newton's The Principia and selections from The Principle of Relativity by Einstein. Taken together, these writings document the evolution of our conception of the universe from a pre-Copernican cosmos with a stationary earth at its center to one in which the very weave of time and space are relative. The editor's ability to step back and view the sweep of his subject was first showcased in his bestselling A Brief History of Time and confirmed in his The Universe in a Nutshell. In an essay introducing each work here, he gives a short and sweet biography of its author and an explanation of its significance, as well as the occasional gem, like Galileo's handwritten renunciation of his beliefs before the Inquisition. To read the works themselves is to feel the thrill and mystery of intimacy with oft-cited source documents. Despite the volume's heftiness, Hawking has given these works a setting that is elegantly simple and, in its simplicity, effectively broadening. (Oct.) Forecast: With a 100,000 first printing and $25,000 marketing campaign, Running Press won't let the book's heft discourage them from getting the word out. And with the fair price for this behemoth, their effort should pay off. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

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