Eileen Reeves

An account of the crucial period between the development of the telescope in The Hague and when Galileo acquired the device less than a year later. Reeves seeks to revise the traditional interpretations of this period, focusing on what seems to have been Galileo's initial misunderstanding of what the telescope was and on certain distortions (intentional or otherwise) that kept knowledge of the invention from spreading as quickly as it otherwise might have done. A brief but extremely show more interesting study. show less

Certainly an erudite account of the historical context of the invention of the telescope, comprising the various facets of myth, craft, engineering, and science related to optical instruments in the pre-modern era, and many less well known (to say the least) historical figures in this context at the turn of the 17th century. The book draws upon a considerable amount of historical information, direct sources as well as more recent historical literature, yet seemed repetitious at times, and show more could have benefitted from a more careful synthesis of the numerous disparate facts and anecdotes. Most disappointing is the small fraction of the book devoted to Galileo's timeline. The absence of any discussion of many technological and scientific aspects is also striking, although it's understandable as this is not a technical book.

Overall, a useful reference for those interested in historical details surrounding the invention of the telescope and its first use for astronomical observation, but thin on technical information. show less