A wonderful contribution
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As an astronomy student this is the kind of book I had always wanted: the actual texts of some of the most significant works in physics! Up to now these texts were simply not accessible -- unless, of course, you were willing to find a dusty copy from the 30's in a university library. It is fascinating to read the ideas of Copernicus, Keppler, Galileo, and the 'Principia' of Newton.
You will certainly find a few surprises, like the use of musical notes to describe the movement of the planets! Stephen Hawking enthusiasts beware! This book is probably not for you. The target audience is people with a background and very keen interest in physics, and those who are fascinated by the history of science, and not afraid of a bit of math. Contents
The great works of Copernicus, Galileo and Newton are all presented in their full form; From Kepler's five volume work you will only find volume 5; Einstein's section, contains seven of what are considered to be his main scientific publications on Relativity. About the book
* The language and illustrations are very accessible.
* Some of the tables are difficult to read.
* The font is small, but not too small.
* The table of contents is a bit too brief, especially with regard to Einstein's section All in all, great value for money, and a unique opportunity to read these original works. For this alone it deserves its 5 stars.
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Only for experts
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Collecting together the classic papers that made certain scientists famous is a great idea, but only if you have a degree in physics already. The original papers in here are mostly over the head of the average reader, who will buy the book thinking it is by Stephen Hawking. And the potted biographies of the superstars are just too short and sometimes inaccurate to be worth the cost. It would be much better to have a skilled writer explaining what these papers really mean.
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The original papers.
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What makes this Stephen Hawkin book different is that it collects together in one place the original papers of the great masters, starting with Copernicus, and ending with Einstein. A generation ago, Eric Temple Bell suggested that we begin with the classics when learning math and science. Traditionally, it was thought that modern books based on the classics offered more effective ways of introducing or presenting the material, and as a result only a few students (and teachers) took the trouble of looking at the original classics, the central papers of the great masters. The true landmark papers. All the while, they collected dust on the shelves in the back rooms of libraries. Of the giants in science, five stand out, Copernicus, Galilei, Kepler, Newton, and Einstein. A chapter is reserved to each of the five. Each chapter begins with a lively biography which also serves to place the material in the context of the history of science. This is followed with the original papers themselves in translation. With this book, readers can compare Newton's laws from Principia with the fundamental papers of Einstein. It is collected in one place with commentary. Complaint: The print reproduction of Einstein's papers is not good, and some formulas unfortunately have been truncated in the reproduction. Hopefully that will be fixed in a second edition.
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