Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love
by: Dava Sobel
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Dewey Decimal Number: 520.92
EAN: 9780140280555
ISBN: 0140280553
Label: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 432
Publication Date: November 01, 2000
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Release Date: October 31, 2000
Sales Rank: 12299
Studio: Penguin (Non-Classics)
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
Galileo Galilei's telescopes allowed him to discover a new reality in the heavens. But for publicly declaring his astounding argument--that the earth revolves around the sun--he was accused of heresy and put under house arrest by the Holy Office of the Inquisition. Living a far different life, Galileo's daughter Virginia, a cloistered nun, proved to be her father's greatest source of strength through the difficult years of his trial and persecution.
Drawing upon the remarkable surviving letters that Virginia wrote to her father, Dava Sobel has written a fascinating history of Medici--era Italy, a mesmerizing account of Galileo's scientific discoveries and his trial by Church authorities, and a touching portrayal of a father--daughter relationship. Galileo's Daughter is a profoundly moving portrait of the man who forever changed the way we see the universe.
• Winner of the Christopher Award and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Award
• Named a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, Esquire, and the American Library Association
Amazon.com Review:
Everyone knows that Galileo Galilei dropped cannonballs off the leaning tower of Pisa, developed the first reliable telescope, and was convicted by the Inquisition for holding a heretical belief--that the earth revolved around the sun. But did you know he had a daughter? In Galileo's Daughter, Dava Sobel (author of the bestselling Longitude) tells the story of the famous scientist and his illegitimate daughter, Sister Maria Celeste. Sobel bases her book on 124 surviving letters to the scientist from the nun, whom Galileo described as 'a woman of exquisite mind, singular goodness, and tenderly attached to me.' Their loving correspondence revealed much about their world: the agonies of the bubonic plague, the hardships of monastic life, even Galileo's occasional forgetfulness ('The little basket, which I sent you recently with several pastries, is not mine, and therefore I wish you to return it to me').
While Galileo tangled with the Church, Maria Celeste--whose adopted name was a tribute to her father's fascination with the heavens--provided moral and emotional support with her frequent letters, approving of his work because she knew the depth of his faith. As Sobel notes, 'It is difficult today ... to see the Earth at the center of the Universe. Yet that is where Galileo found it.' With her fluid prose and graceful turn of phrase, Sobel breathes life into Galileo, his daughter, and the earth-centered world in which they lived. --Sunny Delaney
Average Rating: 
Rating:
- Brings 17th Century to LifeThis remarkable book compactly and comprehensively ties together many threads: Galileo's life, Galileo's ... Read More
Rating:
- Amazing way to read about GalileoI was totally impressed with the way this book was written. I learned so much about Galileo and his life ... Read More
Rating:
- Loved it!If there is one book I would highly recommend from my recent reading list, this would be it. Talk about history ... Read More
Rating:
- An Entertaining, but Ordinary, Story of an Extraordinary ScientistGalileo is known both as a scientist and a symbol. As a scientist, he overtuerned almost all of the then-commonplace ... Read More
Rating:
- This is a biography!I had expected a fictionalized narrative following the daughter of the famous astronomer. What I got was a detailed biography ... Read More
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