Galileo - J.L. Heilbron

Written by J.L. Heilbron
Read by Victor Bevine
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Galileo (UNABRIDGED)
by J. L. Heilbron
Narrated by Victor Bevine

PUBLISHER: Audible, Inc.
LENGTH: 17 hrs and 43 mins
AUDIBLE RELEASE DATE: 02-15-11

Publisher’s Summary
In 1610, Galileo published the Siderius nuncius, or Starry Messenger, a “hurried little masterpiece” in John Heilbron’s words. Presenting to the world his remarkable observations using the recently invented telescope - the craters of the moon, the satellites of Jupiter - Galileo dramatically challenged our idea of the perfection of the heavens and the centrality of the Earth in the universe. Indeed, the appearance of the little book is regarded as one of the great moments in the history of science.

Planned to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the publication of the Starry Messenger, this is a major new biography of Galileo, a fresh and much more rounded view of the great scientist than found in earlier works. Unlike previous biographers, Heilbron shows us that Galileo was far more than a mathematician: he was deeply knowledgeable in the arts, an expert on the epic poet Ariosto, and a fine lutenist.

More important, Heilbron notes that years of reading the poets and experimenting with literary forms were not mere sidebars - they enabled Galileo to write clearly and plausibly about the most implausible things. Indeed, Galileo changed the world not simply because he revolutionized astronomy, but because he conveyed his discoveries so clearly and crisply that they could not be avoided or denied. If ever a discoverer was perfectly prepared to make and exploit his discovery, it was the dexterous humanist Galileo aiming his first telescope at the sky.

In Galileo, John Heilbron captures not only the great scientist, but also the creative, artistic younger man who would ultimately become the champion of Copernicus, the bête noire of the Jesuits, and the best-known of all martyrs to academic freedom.

The title music in this audiobook is Ave Maris Stella by Claudio Monteverdi, which was published in the same year Galileo published Sidereus Nuncius (i.e. The Starry Messenger). Ave Maris Stella was performed using period instruments by the Green Mountain Project. We’re especially proud to note that a member of the Green Mountain Project, Hank Heijink, also works at Audible!

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2010 John Heilbron (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

What the Critics Say
“[Galileo] will no doubt become the standard, comprehensive biography.” (The New York Times Book Review)

“A masterpiece…. It far surpasses all previous biographies of Galileo. Impeccable scholarship.” (Nick Jardine, Professor of the History and Philosophy of Sciences, Cambridge University)

“By far the best general reconstruction of Galileo’s private and intellectual llife available in the English language.” (Paolo Galluzzi, Professor and Director, Museo Galileo, Florence)