Dante and the Early Astronomer
- Author Tracy Daugherty
- Narrator David Stifel
- Publisher Blackstone Publishing
- Publish Date 23 April 2019
- Run Time 6 hours and 10 minutes
- Format Audio
- Genre Astronomy, space and time, Biography: science, technology and medicine, Educational: Humanities and social sciences, general, General and world history.
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What to expect
Explore the evolution of astronomy from Dante to Einstein, as seen through the eyes of trailblazing Victorian astronomer Mary Acworth Evershed.
In 1910, Mary Acworth Evershed (1867–1949) sat on a hill in southern India staring at the moon as she grappled with apparent mistakes in Dante’s Divine Comedy. Was Dante’s astronomy unintelligible? Or was he, for a man of his time and place, as insightful as one could be about the sky?
As the twentieth century began, women who wished to become professional astronomers faced difficult cultural barriers, but Evershed joined the British Astronomical Association and, from an Indian observatory, became an experienced observer of sunspots, solar eclipses, and variable stars. From the perspective of one remarkable amateur astronomer, listeners will see how ideas developed during Galileo’s time evolved or were discarded in Newtonian conceptions of the cosmos and recast in Einstein’s theories. The result is a book about the history of science but also a poetic meditation on literature, science, and the evolution of ideas.
Critics Review
u201cDaughertyu2026has uncovered a small gem within the history of astronomy. Along the way, readers become acquainted with the British romantics, Australian aboriginal astronomy, the folklore of India, and brief lessons on the sunu2019s energy production and Einsteinian physicsu2026An eclectic and engaging look at the Victorian and Edwardian ages.u201d
u201cDoes an impressive job of capturing the intellectual history of a fascinating woman who crossed disciplines and centuries of astronomical advances during her lifetime.u201d
u201cNarrator David Stifel delivers this audiobook in a steady, unadorned performanceu2026Stifel differentiates letters and quoted passages with pauses and provides clear pronunciation of Indian and Italian words. Listeners will gain further appreciation for women in science.u201d
u201cA fascinating picture of one of the English popularizers of astronomy who bridged both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.u201d
u201cA creative tale of time-travel that connects the obsessions of a brilliant young woman and her celestial love affair with the sublime poetry of Dante.u201d
u201cIn Daughertyu2019s wonderfully inclusive fusion of history, science, and literary criticism, the work of a most unusual woman comes alive in its true context. An entrancing read.u201d
u201cAn almost magical blend of Dante and modern astronomical theory, and a fascinating picture of one of the English popularizers of astronomy who bridged the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.u201d
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