While the author does name drop a bit, does wax a bit nostalgic about his career, and does gloat a bit about his discoveries, this is still a fascinating book. Not only does it provide information about who used Nicolaus Copernicus' book, and when and how, but it also provides information about the educational system in the 1500s and 1600s, publishing, book collecting, museum work, university research into the history of science, and a number of other topics. It may be a book that is more about how research into the history of science is conducted, and I may have wished for more information about Copernicus and his life, but it's still a grand read. ( )

It has some fascinating information about old (very old) books and how one can tell one copy from another. ( )

Fascinating look at how books were published in the time of Gutenberg and how one can track particular copies. ( )

Interesting until, just shy of half way through, the self-aggrandizement overwhelms any elucidation regarding De revolutionibus ( )

In his surprise 1959 bestseller about Kepler, The Sleepwalkers, Arthur Koestler claimed that Nicolaus Copernicus' book, De Revolutionibus had very little influence on the other astronomers of his time because it was little-read. While Koestler was a captivating and persuasive writer, his history and his science (as in The Case of the Midwife Toad) was often suspect. When astrophysicist and science historian Owen Gingerich happened upon a copy of De Revolutionibus that was richly annotated in the hand of a Copernicus contemporary, he began to wonder whether Koestler's claim could be erroneous. Thus began his quest to locate every extant copy of the first and second editions of the famous book, this so that he could study the marginalia written by their owners - people like Johannes Kepler and Tycho Brahe. Would you believe that he located over six hundred copies that have survived the four hundred fifty years since its first publication? Gingerich tells us the personal story of how he compiled his exhaustive "census" of the book that many would claim began the scientific revolution. It is a great story of science, history, and books. It starts in a courtroom, where Gingerich testifies in a case involving a stolen copy of De Revolutionibus and meanders through libraries, museums, and book dealers throughout the world. As a (very) amateur book collector, I thought I knew something about the subject, but Chapter 13, "Sophisticated Ladies" was very informative to me. This is a wonderful book, which is scheduled for release by Penguin in paperback early in 2005. I recommend it in any kind of cover. ( )

The book nobody read.It is the story of a historian of sciences who wonders how many people have actually read the book Revolutions by Copernicus, when it was published, five hundred years ago. Who knew then that maybe the earth is not at the center of the universe? It is at first a good subject for a small scientific paper. But as this scientist is very competitive and wants to be thorough, he starts visiting all the libraries of the world where there is a copy of the first edition of the book. It includes difficult trips to Communist countries during the cold war. Because he is very precise,meticulous and particular, he starts making notes on what makes every copy different: from notes in the margin to the size of the pages to the small holes created by bookworms. Then he tries to find who wrote the notes in the margins, and which are the copies of Galileo, Tycho Brahe, Kepler? And of course he gets interested in the second edition...So in time he becomes the world expert in such books, that could sell for a million dollars and discovers a few fakes and a few thieves. If a man like that can win your heart, this is the book.
In time he can show that teachers of 500 years ago wrote notes in their copy of the book; such notes were faithfully copied by their students,who in turn became profs. It is how a new block of knowledge started traveling around in what Gingerich calls the invisible college. Just like nowadays: scientists learn from each other and fine tune their findings independently of where they work: just by meeting colleagues with the same interest all over the world and sharing what they know. It is an important find, worth all these trips and a long career. It makes a convoluted but delightful book. ( )

I was really excited to read a discussion of whether Copernicus's book was really so poorly read as conventional wisdom would have it; alas, I was to be disappointed, since this book isn't actually about that in the end. It's mostly about the author, rather than about Copernicus. It's more autobiography than biography, a story of the author's travels to track down as many copies of the original book as possible. This does make for some interesting reading, but its tucked in among minutiae about editions, margin notations (which can be interesting, but in many cases were tedious), and encounters the author had. In the end, he fails to come to a satisfying conclusion (or any conclusion at all). ( )

This book examines the history and contemporaries of Copernicus. Gingerich tells of his hunts for copies of "De revolutionibus" as though he were tracking hidden treasures, and in many ways he is. Using his own knowledge of astronomy and science he sheds light on many of Copernicus' contemporaries' thoughts. An intriguing read for those who love old books and the history of science. ( )

(posted on my blog: davenichols.net)

Part detective story, part historical investigation, and part bibliophilic adventure, Owen Gingerich's The Book Nobody Read narrates the author's decades-long quest to track down and document all the existing first and second edition copies of Nicolaus Copernicus's groundbreaking work De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri six ("Six Books on the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres"). De revolutionibus set in motion the drive to replace a geocentric universe with a heliocentric one. Gingerich take his title from myth put forward by Arthur Koestler that Copernicus's book was not widely read. Gingerich's investigation shows Koestler to be dead wrong.

Spending three decades building his census of De revolutionibus, Gingerich became personally invested in researching the history of the revolutionary work. Finding hundreds of copies of the first two editions to be very heavily annotated, the author discovered that not only was the book widely owned, it was clearly widely read. Later famous owners of the book included Kepler and Brahe, and in copy after copy, Gingerich discovered extensive notes by edition owners.

The Book Nobody Read is one of those odd niche adventures that likely appeals to a small audience. However, as a bibliophile and lover of both astronomy and history, this was a fantastic story of the worldwide search for copies of one of most important books ever written. Gingerich documents his travels and troubles across the world as he tracked down each copy. A passionate historian, the author also draws for the reader a unique view of the influence of De revolutionibus and the assorted characters who owned and were affected by it.

Again, I think this book likely appeals to a small niche audience, namely those interested in the history of science and/or the history of books. For those readers, however, this book is a fantastic treat and well worth a weekend read. Gingerich is a strong writer and clearly passionate about his lifelong pursuit of Copernicus's masterpiece. Peppered with many photographs of noteworthy annotations and editions, the author presents a wonderful exploration of the history of De revolutionibus. Four and one-half stars. ( )

This was a tough book to get through. The way in which the narrative shifted between the historical and scientific details of Copernicus' studies and the author's travels to find copies of De revolutionibus orbium made for difficult reading. I probably would have had an easier time with it if I were more familiar with the scientific principles being discussed.

One of the principal difficulties I had in reading this book were the many tangential stories the author indulged in. Gingerich is very thorough in detailing his quest for the first and second editions of De revolutionibus orbium. These details get in the way of the story he is telling.

For example, at one point, the author wonders what could have happened to the missing copies of the work. He conjectures that they could have been damaged by water and or pests, and then spends three pages outlining types of damage with examples (including a picture of a silverfish). While illustrative details like this can be useful in moderation, Gingerich indulges in them so often that I kept losing track of the book's main story. I also found myself skipping over the tangents and soon noticed that I was skipping over a considerable part of the book.

At its core, I think this is an interesting book. It is so buried in detailed scientific explantions and tangential anecdotes that its potential audience is quite limited (my father, a retired professor of oceanography with an interest in the history of science and orbital mechanics, thought this was a great book). ( )

Owen Gingrich chases all existing original copies of Copernicus' book and finds that a lot of people read, commented and discussed Copernicus' book when it was first published. Fascinating account of how 'academia' worked in the 16th century. Amazingly, it really was not so different than today, except that instead of e-mail, messages travelled by donkey-drawn carriages. At least that gave people more time to think about things. Oops, gotta go, another e-mail just popped up... ( )

This is essentially the memoir of the author's labors to create a complete census of the scientific classic "De Revolutionibus...' by Nicolaus Copernicus and is equal parts history of science, travelogue, and sociology of book collecting. ( )

The Book Nobody Read tells of the author’s 30-year effort to see and document all surviving copies of the first and second editions of De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri sex (“Six Books on the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres”). De revolutionibus, as it is commonly known, was the book in which Copernicus presented the concept of a heliocentric (sun-centered) universe.

Gingerich became involved with the worldwide preparations for celebrating the 1973 Quinquecentennial (500-year anniversary) of the birth of Nicolaus Copernicus. As a Smithsonian professor of astronomy and history of science at Harvard, Gingerich expected to lecture on Copernicus at some of the Quinquecentennial events, but he worried about finding any new insights. In the best-selling The Sleepwalkers, published in 1959, Arthur Koestler had stated that De revolutionibus was so technical and dull that it became “the book that nobody read”, and was “an all time worst seller.”

In 1970, studying rare astronomy books at the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh, Gingerich found a first edition of De revolutionibus that was heavily annotated throughout. The sections describing the heliocentric cosmology were lightly marked, but the technical sections had extensive margin notes. Gingerich wondered who might have done this, and what he might find in other copies.

The author relates his visits to the world’s great scientific libraries, his efforts to document the books and their annotations, the process of identifying the authors of the marginalia, and his eventual involvement as an expert witness in a number of cases involving thefts of rare astronomy books. Along the way, he describes the publication methods and the state of the scientific community at the time of Copernicus, provides brief biographies of some of the important early astronomers, and introduces the reader to the great scientific archives of Europe and America.

The narrative is never fast-paced, but this is a fascinating book for anyone who loves science and old books.

(Note: I have posted this review twice because I have two copies of the book. I originally read it in paperback. When I eventually found a hardcover copy, I found this was the rare case where I actually preferred the cover of the paperback, so I have kept both copies.) ( )

The Book Nobody Read tells of the author’s 30-year effort to see and document all surviving copies of the first and second editions of De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri sex (“Six Books on the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres”). De revolutionibus, as it is commonly known, was the book in which Copernicus presented the concept of a heliocentric (sun-centered) universe.

Gingerich became involved with the worldwide preparations for celebrating the 1973 Quinquecentennial (500-year anniversary) of the birth of Nicolaus Copernicus. As a Smithsonian professor of astronomy and history of science at Harvard, Gingerich expected to lecture on Copernicus at some of the Quinquecentennial events, but he worried about finding any new insights. In the best-selling The Sleepwalkers, published in 1959, Arthur Koestler had stated that De revolutionibus was so technical and dull that it became “the book that nobody read”, and was “an all time worst seller.”

In 1970, studying rare astronomy books at the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh, Gingerich found a first edition of De revolutionibus that was heavily annotated throughout. The sections describing the heliocentric cosmology were lightly marked, but the technical sections had extensive margin notes. Gingerich wondered who might have done this, and what he might find in other copies.

The author relates his visits to the world’s great scientific libraries, his efforts to document the books and their annotations, the process of identifying the authors of the marginalia, and his eventual involvement as an expert witness in a number of cases involving thefts of rare astronomy books. Along the way, he describes the publication methods and the state of the scientific community at the time of Copernicus, provides brief biographies of some of the important early astronomers, and introduces the reader to the great scientific archives of Europe and America.

The narrative is never fast-paced, but this is a fascinating book for anyone who loves science and old books.

(Note: I have posted this review twice because I have two copies of the book. I originally read it in paperback. When I eventually found a hardcover copy, I found this was the rare case where I actually preferred the cover of the paperback, so I have kept both copies.) ( )

I recently found this intriguing short volume in a Penguin Books edition. It's a detective story of sorts written by an astronomer about On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, which was The Origin of Species of its time.

The Book Nobody Read is an amazing account of Gingerich's attempt to track down every first- and second-edition copy of Copernicus' De revolutionibus. In doing so, he sheds light on the development of the early Scientific Revolution. Science history buffs and book lovers will enjoy this immensely. ( )

Interestingly done, and an intriguing thesis. ( )

Gingerich weaves a fascinating tale of the story of Copernicus. The era renaissance science and discovery is captured wonderfully. Highly recommended reading. ( )

Wonderful ( )