Conversations on the Plurality of Worlds - Brossura

De Fontenelle, Bernard Le Bovier; De Lalande, Jerome

Brossura

ISBN 10: 190479937X ISBN 13: 9781904799375

Casa editrice: Tiger of the Stripe, 2008

Riassunto

When Bernard de Fontenelle published the first edition of his Entretiens sur la Pluralité des Mondes in 1686, it was an immediate success. In an age when women, even those from the richest and most distinguished families, received little or no formal education, it offered an entertaining and accessible introduction to astronomy and some of the burning topics of the day. Does the earth really go around the sun? Are there other inhabited planets out there? If so, are the inhabitants like us or quite different? Is the moon itself inhabited? Is even the sun inhabited? Are there volcanoes on the moon? How hot is mercury? How long is a Venusian day? Will flying machines one day take us to the moon? Providing new notes, some illustrations and an introduction, this new Tiger of the Stripe edition is based on the 1808 edition of Elizabeth Gunning's translation, retaining the charm which was so essential for the book's success. Miss Gunning, a beautiful and talented novelist with a rather racy personal life, drew on an annotated French edition by the distinguished French astronomer, Jérôme de Lalande. This edition thus offers an interesting accretion of ideas, ranging from Fontenelle's 1686 edition and later revisions, Lalande's (sometimes rather critical) comments, Gunning's appropriately flowery translation, and our own explanations for the modern reader. It is, without doubt, a little gem.

Su questo libro

Product Description

Book by Fontenelle Bernard de

Dettagli dell?edizione

• Editore: Tiger of the Stripe
• Data di pubblicazione: 2008
• ISBN 10: 190479937X
• ISBN 13: 9781904799375
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Lingua: Inglese
• Numero di pagine: 160