The Optics of Ibn Al-Haytham: On Direct Vision Books 1-3

by ibn al-Haytham, Abdelhamid I. Sabra (Translator)

The Kitab al-mana?ir or Book of Optics of Ibn al-Haytham, composed in the second quarter of the 11th century AD, consists of seven books (or maqalas) which may be divided into two the first is made up of books I-III and treats the rectilinear radiation of light and colour, and vision produced by rectilinear radiation; the second, consisting of books IV-VII, is a study of reflection and refraction of light and of vision produced by reflected and refracted rays. The present work comprises an English translation of and commentary on the first section, following Abdelhamid I. Sabra’s edition of the corresponding Arabic text, published in 1983. A Latin translation of Ibn al-Haytham’s Optics, known as Perspectiva or De aspectibus, exerted profound influence on 13th-century European thinkers and circulated with other optical writings such as Ptolemy’s Optica, which became available in Latin around the same time. The present work includes a concordance of the Arabic and Latin texts as well as glossaries and a manuscript index. • Volume I. English translation • Volume II. Introduction, commentary, glossaries, concordance, indices

Genres: Science, Philosophy, Physics

735 pages, Hardcover

Published December 1, 1989

About the author

perhaps 965 - perhaps 1040

Book of best known Arab mathematician and astronomer ibn al-Haytham, fully named Abu Ali al-Hasan ibn al-Haytham and also known as Alhazen, presented experimental studies of reflection and refraction and an influential theory of vision that revised that of the Greeks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibn_al-...

Reviews

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first three books are very rigorous and methodical. This is a work that deals primarily with sight and the various methods and functions of sight and it’s defeciencies, shortcomings, and strengths. It delves into psychology, Aristotleian Metaphysics, and utilizes the synthetical method like a lot of Alhazen’s geometry, so it resembles a geometrical proof at times. Beautiful work so far, absolutely wonderful read. Now I will proceed to read the next two.

[King'Samson David Samson Dawit · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am proud to have heritage from
a country so near and involved. Dentistry optometry not to mention medicine mathamatics OPTICS and civilization in general. School is cool! 😎

[Christopher Byram · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first discovered this book when it was referenced on Khan Academy, in the article 'READ: The Universe Through a Pinhole: Hasan Ibn al-Haytham', in Unit 4, in the course 'World History Project - Origins to the Present'. The article states that this is the author's most important book, and in Arabic it is called, 'Kitab al-Manazir', ('The Book of Optics'). The article goes on to state that "this book explained how the human eye works and how we see objects, such as stars, that are very far away. After Ibn al-Haytham’s book was translated from Arabic into Latin around 1200 CE, it sparked a revolution in optics in Europe. His knowledge provided the basis for many of the great scientific discoveries of later scholars such as Galileo and Kepler."