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Galileo : vida y destino de un genio renacentista
Four hundred years ago, Galileo Galilei first used the telescope to gaze at the heavens. In honor of that anniversary, as well as the international year of astronomy, this lavishly illustrated volume celebrates Galileo
Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 9, 2010
Well written and easy to read with many captivating illustrations, Galileo's life was recorded without the tedium and boredom that accompany so many historical biographies. The author was able to take the highs and lows of Galileo's life and weave them together with historical facts to form a seemingly accurate picture of the tempestuous beginnings of the scientific revolution. Galileo's insistence on using experiments to prove truth regarding nature was a threat to the controlling powers of the catholic church and to the prevailing Aristotelian philosophy of the era. Sadly, the church's biblical hermeneutics didn't allow them to see/admit the truth of what their eyes were telling them. It is truly amazing to realize that only 400 years ago mankind was ignorant and erroneous of Earth's relationship to the rest of the universe. And then, to have progressed from a small telescope to the powerful telescopes of today peacefully orbiting in space, is incredible. "What is Galileo's legacy? The universe around you."
January 13, 2022
Un libro que recorre la vida de Galileo con ilustraciones.
February 18, 2010
This book gave me a greater appreciation for Galileo. I never knew what a large influence his father's musical experimentation by observation had on his life. I also never knew just how badly he was treated at the low points of his life.
It made me laugh that his dad told him (or was it he told his son?) not to be an artist because there's no money in it. That's been the saying for over 400 years now.
It's an enjoyable book. In my mind, I was continually trying to compare Galileo's timeline to historic events more familiar to me, such as an experiment taking place during the life of Shakespeare or living durint the Reformation. It was hard for me to place Galileo's life in the greater historical context. There is a chronological summary of Galileo's life at the end of the book, but I would have benefited from seeing where he fit in the grander scheme of history.
The "legacy to modern science" is one chapter at the end talking about physics and astronomy. I don't think the amount of detail covered there warrants a subtitle about it.
I question some of the formatting decisions, such as starting a sentece something like "Galileo said (see left)" and then seeing a quote along the margins to end the sentence, with no ending punctuation in the paragraph.
The book is riddled with careless copyediting typos and mistakes. It was distracting and a bit disappointing for me. It looks like someone forgot to proofread the book or that it was rushed in an attempt to ride the hype of the "400 years of the telescope" craze that was going on.
It made me laugh that his dad told him (or was it he told his son?) not to be an artist because there's no money in it. That's been the saying for over 400 years now.
It's an enjoyable book. In my mind, I was continually trying to compare Galileo's timeline to historic events more familiar to me, such as an experiment taking place during the life of Shakespeare or living durint the Reformation. It was hard for me to place Galileo's life in the greater historical context. There is a chronological summary of Galileo's life at the end of the book, but I would have benefited from seeing where he fit in the grander scheme of history.
The "legacy to modern science" is one chapter at the end talking about physics and astronomy. I don't think the amount of detail covered there warrants a subtitle about it.
I question some of the formatting decisions, such as starting a sentece something like "Galileo said (see left)" and then seeing a quote along the margins to end the sentence, with no ending punctuation in the paragraph.
The book is riddled with careless copyediting typos and mistakes. It was distracting and a bit disappointing for me. It looks like someone forgot to proofread the book or that it was rushed in an attempt to ride the hype of the "400 years of the telescope" craze that was going on.
September 1, 2010
This gorgeously designed book is so visually compelling that it's easy to forget that it's a serious biography of Galileo written by a doctorate in astrophysics. Whitehouse begins with Galileo’s father Vincenzo, a musician who warns his son against becoming a starving artist. From him, Galileo learns methods of inquiry and observation, assisting with his father’s musical experiments, but – more importantly – Galileo learns to question authority.
The book traces Galileo’s myriad accomplishments – refining the telescope, inventing the microscope, observing the universe – and his clashes with authority leading to his heresy trial before the Inquisition. What makes this book notable, beyond the substantial artwork, is Whitehouse’s use of primary sources and his ability to provide a broader context to the events of Galileo’s life – like the race to perfect the telescope or politics behind Galileo’s clashes with the Church.
The book traces Galileo’s myriad accomplishments – refining the telescope, inventing the microscope, observing the universe – and his clashes with authority leading to his heresy trial before the Inquisition. What makes this book notable, beyond the substantial artwork, is Whitehouse’s use of primary sources and his ability to provide a broader context to the events of Galileo’s life – like the race to perfect the telescope or politics behind Galileo’s clashes with the Church.
May 7, 2015
A nice, casual review of Galileo's life and work. It has plenty of attractive, color illustrations. There are many 3D-rendered computer graphics that were intended to portray the astronomical concepts in the book, but they are not usually all that helpful. It looked like someone just enjoyed playing with their 3D software. Anyway, the book flows nicely.
May 10, 2013
This was OK, but it felt like it was mostly a chronological history.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews