History of Ancient Mathematical Astronomy (Studies in the History of Mathematics and Physical Sciences)

by Otto Neugebauer

From the reviews:

"This monumental work will henceforth be the standard interpretation of ancient mathematical astronomy. It is easy to point out its many virtues: comprehensiveness and common sense are two of the most important. Neugebauer has studied profoundly every relevant text in Akkadian, Egyptian, Greek, and Latin, no matter how fragmentary; [...] With the combination of mathematical rigor and a sober sense of the true nature of the evidence, he has penetrated the astronomical and the historical significance of his material. [...] His work has been and will remain the most admired model for those working with mathematical and astronomical texts.

D. Pingree in Bibliotheca Orientalis, 1977

"... a work that is a landmark, not only for the history of science, but for the history of scholarship. HAMA [History of Ancient Mathematical Astronomy] places the history of ancient Astronomy on a entirely new foundation. We shall not soon see its equal.

N.M. Swerdlow in Historia Mathematica, 1979

Genres: Science, History, Mathematics, Astronomy, Astrology

1456 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Otto Eduard Neugebauer was an Austrian-American mathematician and historian of science who became known for his research on the history of astronomy and the other exact sciences in antiquity and into the Middle Ages. By studying clay tablets he discovered that the ancient Babylonians knew much more about mathematics and astronomy than had been previously realized. The National Academy of Sciences has called Neugebauer "the most original and productive scholar of the history of the exact sciences, perhaps of the history of science, of our age."

Neugebauer fought in WW1 in the Austrian army, and was imprisoned as a POW after the war. Refusing to sign a loyalty oath to the new Nazi government of Germany he immigrated to the United States in 1939 joining Brown University, where he spent most of his career.

from wikipedia.

Reviews

[Andrew]

I gasped when I saw this book. Which crazy person thought to write this? This is at the top of my wishlist.