false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167063144m/18646.jpg 18646 29 Everyone knows that Galileo Galilei dropped cannonballs off the leaning tower of Pisa, developed the first reliable telescope, and was convicted by the Inquisition for holding a heretical belief--that the earth revolved around the sun. But did you know he had a daughter? In <I>Galileo's Daughter</I>, Dava Sobel (author of the bestselling <i>Longitude</i>) tells the story of the famous scientist and his illegitimate daughter, Sister Maria Celeste. Sobel bases her book on 124 surviving letters to the scientist from the nun, whom Galileo described as "a woman of exquisite mind, singular goodness, and tenderly attached to me." Their loving correspondence revealed much about their world: the agonies of the bubonic plague, the hardships of monastic life, even Galileo's occasional forgetfulness ("The little basket, which I sent you recently with several pastries, is not mine, and therefore I wish you to return it to me").<p> While Galileo tangled with the Church, Maria Celeste--whose adopted name was a tribute to her father's fascination with the heavens--provided moral and emotional support with her frequent letters, approving of his work because she knew the depth of his faith. As Sobel notes, "It is difficult today ... to see the Earth at the center of the Universe. Yet that is where Galileo found it." With her fluid prose and graceful turn of phrase, Sobel breathes life into Galileo, his daughter, and the earth-centered world in which they lived. <I>--Sunny Delaney</I> 2351782 book 1999 Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love total:2383|5:390|4:910|3:775|2:233|1:75| 2383 8456 3844 371 5 4 false false Wed Apr 23 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Apr 09 07:55:36 -0700 2008 Thu Apr 24 07:23:53 -0700 2008
The mythology of Galileo, as trul...more...]]> 4 2 false false Thu Apr 17 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Apr 07 20:47:41 -0700 2008 Fri Apr 25 17:18:09 -0700 2008 more...]]> 0 1 false false Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 -0800 2003 Sat Dec 20 16:54:34 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 20 16:55:56 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Fri Oct 10 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Sep 22 11:52:58 -0700 2008 Wed Oct 15 08:05:50 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 1 false false Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Jul 27 10:24:52 -0700 2007 Fri Jul 27 10:24:52 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sat Dec 06 04:03:51 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 06 04:05:33 -0800 2008 3 0 true false Sun Mar 22 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 30 10:25:26 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 30 10:37:25 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Feb 17 20:16:42 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 17 20:17:02 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Oct 25 14:23:47 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 25 14:23:58 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue May 12 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue May 12 12:15:00 -0700 2009 Tue May 12 13:41:54 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Nov 30 19:41:20 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 30 19:54:49 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Thu Feb 26 23:15:15 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 27 00:09:17 -0800 2009 once, so far!! Dava Sobel worked a Masterpiece with "Longitude".
So I trusted her to amaze me again.
She DID.

This is an engrossing, informative and moving account of life in Renaissance Italy, of the struggle to make...more...]]> 4 0 true false Sun Dec 16 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Thu May 21 23:15:30 -0700 2009 Tue May 26 20:47:01 -0700 2009 more...]]> 1 2 false false Sat Jun 07 04:52:02 -0700 2008 Wed Mar 19 06:18:14 -0700 2008 Sat Jun 07 04:52:02 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Mon Dec 01 13:39:00 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 01 13:52:51 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2001 Tue Mar 31 12:13:47 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 31 12:15:47 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Nov 18 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 04 09:42:40 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 18 11:27:38 -0800 2009 Dava Sobel proves herself imminently capable of tackling scientific histories in a way that is accessible, in-depth, and engrossing. Having previously read (and loved!) Longitude, Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science Faith and Love is an equally intriguing delight.

Sobel e...more...]]> 2 0 false false Wed Sep 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 22 22:52:29 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 12 22:12:52 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 29 17:24:38 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 29 17:46:27 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Jul 31 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 13 16:28:27 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 06 22:04:31 -0700 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=18646