The Book of Astronomy in Antiquity (Concise Edition)

Ptolemy's work in ancient times laid the foundations for our modern understanding of the universe. Now in a digestible, pocket format for the modern reader.

Ptolemy’s The Almagest brought together the ideas of Greek Antiquity, that the sun and planets revolved around the earth, the geocentric view which was used by European, Byzantine and Islamic scholars for 1400 years until Copernicus placed the sun as the focus of the solar system. This new book offers an accessible version of Ptolemy’s great work.

Ptolemy’s great astronomical work, which we know as The Almagest, brought together the ideas of Greek Antiquity, based on Aristotle some 400 years earlier, that the sun and planets revolved around the earth. This geocentric view which was inherited by Byzantine and Islamic scholars until Copernicus’ observations 1400 years later, placed the sun at the focal point of the solar system. For centuries Ptolemy’s methods were sufficient to predict solar and lunar eclipses and his work was translated into Latin in the 12th century, spreading its use across western Europe. This new, accessible edition brings the learning of the past to readers of today.

The FLAME TREE Foundations series features core publications which together have shaped the cultural landscape of the modern world, with cutting-edge research distilled into pocket guides designed to be both accessible and informative.