Copernicus himself was a specialist, a mathematical astronomer concerned to correct the esoteric techniques used in computing tables of planetary position. Because of its plurality, the Copernican Revolution offers an ideal opportunity to discover how and with what effect the concepts of many different fields are woven into a single fabric of thought. But both specialized studies and the elementary works patterned on them necessarily miss one of the Revolution's most essential and fascinating characteristics - a characteristic which arises from the Revolution's plurality itself. The Revolution's plurality transcends the competence of the individual scholar working from primary sources. These individual aspects of the Revolution have been examined repeatedly, and without the resulting studies this book could not have been written.
Its core was a transformation of mathematical astronomy, but it embraced conceptual changes in cosmology, physics, philosophy, and religion as well. Though the Revolution's name is singular, the event was plural.
PREFACE The story of the Copernican Revolution has been told many times before, but never, to my knowledge, with quite the scope and object aimed at here. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 57-7612 ISBN 3-9 (paper) Printed in the United States of America ©Copyright 1957 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College ©renewed 1985 by Thomas S.
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