The First Copernican -- Georg Joachim Rheticus and the Rise of the Copernican Revolution by Dennis Danielson, $25.95, 264 pages, ISBN #0-8027-1530-3. Index, source notes, no bibliography, appendix, unillustrated.
One might imagine that Nicolaus Copernicus, having proved that the sun, not the earth, is the center of the solar system might have spent the rest of his life basking in deserved glory for changing the way humans think about their universe and, indeed, themselves. Like so many historical assumptions, this one couldn't be farther from the truth.
As the author informs us, Copernicus's transforming theory might not have seen the light of day were it not for a 25-year-old math wunderkind named Georg Joachim Rheticus, who had heard of the rumors of Copernicus's work and ventured out in 1539 to meet him. A projected three-week trip ended up with Rheticus moving in with Copernicus, and persuading him to finish his manuscript and get it published. Not only did Copernicus not get to experience the reaction of the scientific community to his findings, he died within hours of receiving the finished copy of his manuscript.
Much has been written already about Copernicus, but the man who enabled his work to come to light is a relative unknown. Danielson, a professor of English at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, adds to the body of knowledge by fleshing out this important figure. It should be added that Rheticus's contributions to science were not simply as Copernicus's muse and bag man; he is also responsible for founding modern trigonometry.
