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Second edition of Copernicus's revolutionary work, first published in 1543. This edition adds Rheticus's Narratio prima, the first printed exposition of Copernican theory, in which Rheticus introduces the concepts of his mentor's heliocentric model. The Narratio prima was published separately in 1540 and was not included in the first edition of De revolutionibus. Although it proved to be the most important scientific work published in the 16th century and a "landmark in human thought" (PMM), De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, Libri VI ("Six books concerning the revolutions of the heavenly orbs") was not widely recognized at first. Copernicus had delayed publication of his major astronomical work since its completion in 1530 and only allowed it to be published in the year of his death. His change of heart was at the prompting of the young mathematician and astronomer, Georg Joachim Rheticus (1514-1574), who was Copernicus's only pupil and the chief advocate of his teacher's new theory. Rheticus persuaded Copernicus to allow him to publish the Narratio prima to test the waters. This is its third appearance in print, following the first of 1540 and a pirated edition printed at Basel in 1541. Already familiar with the scientific publishing of Johann Petreius at Nuremberg, Rheticus delivered Copernicus's manuscript to Petreius in 1542 and acted as the book's editor and proof-reader. This second edition was published in Basel in the famous printing shop owned by Second edition of Copernicus's revolutionary work, first published in 1543. This edition adds Rheticus's Narratio prima, the first printed exposition of Copernican theory, in which Rheticus introduces the concepts of his mentor's heliocentric model. The Narratio prima was published separately in 1540 and was not included in the first edition of De revolutionibus. Although it proved to be the most important scientific work published in the 16th century and a "landmark in human thought" (PMM), De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, Libri VI ("Six books concerning the revolutions of the heavenly orbs") was not widely recognized at first. Copernicus had delayed publication of his major astronomical work since its completion in 1530 and only allowed it to be published in the year of his death. His change of heart was at the prompting of the young mathematician and astronomer, Georg Joachim Rheticus (1514-1574), who was Copernicus's only pupil and the chief advocate of his teacher's new theory. Rheticus persuaded Copernicus to allow him to publish the Narratio prima to test the waters. This is its third appearance in print, following the first of 1540 and a pirated edition printed at Basel in 1541. Already familiar with the scientific publishing of Johann Petreius at Nuremberg, Rheticus delivered Copernicus's manuscript to Petreius in 1542 and acted as the book's editor and proof-reader. This second edition was published in Basel in the famous printing shop owned by Henricus Petrus in an edition of between 500 and 600 copies. It follows the Nuremberg edition closely in terms of format, typography, font, and initials used. It has the same title, although the design of the title page - featuring an ornamental, almost baroque, woodcut - is more elaborate. The text of Rheticus's Narratio prima is preceded by an introductory letter, written by Achilles Gasser (1505-1577), in which the mathematician recommends Narratio prima to his friend, the philosopher and physician Georg Vogelin of Konstanz. There was no other printing of De revolutionibus until the third edition of 1617, published in Amsterdam, by which time the persecution of Giordano Bruno and Galileo had shown the church's opposition to the spread of Copernicus's dangerous cosmology. In his census of the 1543 and 1566 editions, Owen Gingerich locates 322 copies of the second edition, making it only slightly less rare than the first. READ MORE Small folio (280 x 187 mm): [¶]6 a-z4 A-2F4 Gg6; 220 leaves, ff. [vi], 213, [1] (blank but for printer's device). Handsomely rebound to style in full calf decorated in gilt. Housed in a brown quarter morocco solander box by the Chelsea Bindery. Woodcut printer's device to title, illustrated with woodcut text diagrams. Roman type, with occasional Greek. Seventeenth-century inscription in Italian on front free endpaper, near-contemporary shelf mark (?) below, old library stamp skilfully removed from cleaned title page, occasional contemporary marginalia. Intermittent foxing and light browning, heavier to a couple of gatherings, small damp-stain to upper margin of a couple of leaves in gatherings c-e, still a very good copy. Adams C-2603; Cinti 48; Gingerich, An Annotated Census of Copernicus' De Revolutionibus, p. 206; Houzeau & Lancaster 2503; see Printing and the Mind of Man 70 for the first edition.

Nicolaus Copernicus' groundbreaking work on heliocentrism is encapsulated in his seminal book "De revolutionibus orbium coelestium" (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres). This work, published in 1543, marked a significant departure from the geocentric model that had dominated astronomical thought for centuries. Copernicus proposed that the Sun, rather than the Earth, was at the center of the universe, with the Earth and other planets revolving around it. "De revolutionibus" begins with seven axioms outlining the heliocentric theory. These include the notions that the Earth rotates daily on its axis and revolves annually around the Sun. Copernicus provided detailed mathematical proofs and astronomical observations to support his heliocentric model. He described the motions of the planets more accurately than the Ptolemaic system, which placed the Earth at the center. While still using some elements of the Ptolemaic system, like epicycles, Copernicus significantly simplified the complex system of planetary motions. The publication of "De revolutionibus" is often considered the starting point of the Scientific Revolution. It fundamentally changed the way humanity understood the cosmos and our place within it. Initially, the book did not cause a major stir, but eventually, the Catholic Church condemned it, placing it on the Index of Forbidden Books in 1616 due to its contradiction with the geocentric view supported by the Church. Despite this, Copernicus' heliocentric theory paved the way for later astronomers like Johannes Kepler and Galileo Galilei, who further developed and provided more evidence for the heliocentric model. The book is divided into six parts. Book I outlines the heliocentric theory and provides a general explanation of the universe. Book II covers the principles of spherical astronomy as a basis for the heliocentric theory. Book III discusses the precession of the equinoxes and the apparent motion of the Sun. Book IV focuses on the Moon and its motion. Book V examines the motions of the planets, including retrograde motion. Finally, Book VI discusses the order of the planets and the orbit of the Earth, as well as an explanation of the various phenomena observed from Earth. Nicolaus Copernicus' "De revolutionibus orbium coelestium" was a groundbreaking work that challenged the long-held geocentric model of the universe. By placing the Sun at the center and describing the motions of the planets around it, Copernicus laid the foundation for modern astronomy and the scientific revolution. His work fundamentally altered humanity's understanding of the cosmos and set the stage for future astronomical discoveries. This work is now rare and highly valuable.