Physics & Astronomy

Ptolemy's Almagest

    Edited and translated by
  • G.J. Toomer
    Foreword by
  • Owen Gingerich

Paperback

Price:
$120.00
ISBN:
Published:
Nov 8, 1998
1999
Pages:
712
Size:
6 x 9.25 in.
Illus:
219 figures 38 tables
Main_subject:
Physics & Astronomy
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  • For sale only in the United States and Canada

Ptolemy’s Almagest is one of the most influential scientific works in history. A masterpiece of technical exposition, it was the basic textbook of astronomy for more than a thousand years, and still is the main source for our knowledge of ancient astronomy. This translation, based on the standard Greek text of Heiberg, makes the work accessible to English readers in an intelligible and reliable form. It contains numerous corrections derived from medieval Arabic translations and extensive footnotes that take account of the great progress in understanding the work made in this century, due to the discovery of Babylonian records and other researches. It is designed to stand by itself as an interpretation of the original, but it will also be useful as an aid to reading the Greek text.