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Conversations on the Plurality of Worlds

Conversations on the Plurality of Worlds

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"Conversations on the Plurality of Worlds" by Bernard Le Bovier Fontenelle, Jerome De Lalande is a astronomy book and space science reference focused on Deep Sky & Solar System. Best for students, researchers, and serious astronomy enthusiasts.

When Bernard de Fontenelle published the first edition of his Entretiens sur la Pluralite 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, Jerome 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.

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Best For: Readers interested in the history of astronomy and early scientific ideas about the universe.
Focus: Explains 17th-century astronomical concepts and debates about the existence of other inhabited planets.
Covers: Astronomy basics, heliocentrism, and early discussions on extraterrestrial life.
Why It Matters: Provides insight into how scientific ideas were communicated to a broad audience, including women with limited formal education, in the 17th century.

"Conversations on the Plurality of Worlds" by Bernard Le Bovier Fontenelle, Jerome De Lalande is a astronomy book and space science reference focused on Deep Sky & Solar System. Best for students, researchers, and serious astronomy enthusiasts.

Topic: Deep Sky & Solar System

Author: Bernard Le Bovier Fontenelle, Jerome De Lalande

Who this is for:

  • Astronomy students
  • Researchers and advanced hobbyists
  • Readers exploring space science topics

Why this book matters: It matters because it helps readers build a stronger understanding of astronomy concepts, observations, and scientific ideas related to space.

When Bernard de Fontenelle published the first edition of his Entretiens sur la Pluralite 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, Jerome 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.

AuthorBernard Le Bovier Fontenelle, Jerome De Lalande
PublisherTiger of the Stripe
Published2008-11
ISBN-139781904799375
BindingPaperback
Pages160
LanguageEnglish
SubjectsScience
TopicDeep Sky & Solar System

Format: Paperback

Length: 160 pages

Language: English

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