Narratio Prima

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Narratio Prima (Latin: first account) is an abstract of the heliocentric theory of Nicolaus Copernicus, published by the young German astronomer Georg Joachim Rheticus in 1540. It is an introduction to Copernicus' major work, De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, which was finally published in 1543 due to Rheticus's instigation. Thus, the Narratio Prima is the first appearance of Copernican astronomy in print.[1]

Contents

[edit] History of the book

Copernicus, born in 1473 and already well over 60 years old, had never published any astronomical work, as his only publication had been his translation of poems of Theophylact Simocatta, printed in 1509 by Johann Haller, Cracow. His astronomical ideas were known, though, as he had distributed the Commentariolus as manuscript among friends decades ago. In the 1530s, he was urged to publish by many, yet still hesitated when in 1539, Rheticus arrived in Frauenburg (Frombork) to become Copernicus' pupil — his first and only. Philipp Melanchthon had arranged for Rheticus to visit several astronomers and study with them.

In September 1539 Rheticus went to Danzig (Gdańsk) to visit the mayor who gave Rheticus some financial assistance to publish the First Report. This Narratio Prima[2], published by Franz Rhode in Danzig in 1540, is still considered to be the best introduction to Copernicus' De revolutionibus orbium coelestium. The Narratio was published together with the Encomium Prussiae [3], which praised the spirit of humanism in Prussia, as an open letter to Johannes Schöner of Nuremberg. [4]

During his two year stay in Prussia, Rheticus published works of his own, and in cooperation with Copernicus, like in 1542 a treatise on trigonometry, later included in the second book of De revolutionibus. Under strong pressure from Rheticus, and having seen the favorable first general reception of the narratio prima his work, Copernicus finally agreed to give the book to his close friend, Tiedemann Giese, bishop of Kulm (Chełmno), to be delivered to Nuremberg (Nürnberg) for printing by Johannes Petreius, under supervision by Rheticus.

Later editions were printed in Basel, in 1541 by Robert Winter, and in 1566 by Henricus Petrus, in connection with the second edition of De revolutionibus orbium coelestium.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering & Technology 2004, [1]
  2. ^ Edward Rosen, Three Copernican Treatises: The Commentariolus of Copernicus; The Letter against Werner; The Narratio Prima of Rheticus; Columbia University Press, 1939
  3. ^ Nicolaus Copernicus Gesamtausgabe (complete edition), Akademie Verlag, Letters of Copernicus, [2]
  4. ^ Title page of Narratio Prima, [3]

[edit] Bibliography

  • Rheticus: Narratio prima de libris revolutionum Copernici, Danzig 1540
  • Richard S. Westfall, Indiana University. Rheticus, George Joachim. "Catalog of the Scientific Community of the 16th and 17th Centuries," The Galileo Project.
  • Dennis Danielson (2006). The First Copernican: Georg Joachim Rheticus and the Rise of the Copernican Revolution. Walker & Company, New York. ISBN 0-8027-1530-3
  • Karl Heinz Burmeister: Georg Joachim Rhetikus 1514-1574. Bd.I–III. Guido Pressler Verlag, Wiesbaden 1967.
  • Stefan Deschauer: Die Arithmetik-Vorlesung des Georg Joachim Rheticus, Wittenberg 1536: eine kommentierte Edition der Handschrift X-278 (8) der Estnischen Akademischen Bibliothek; Augsburg: Rauner, 2003; ISBN 3-936905-00-2
  • R. Hooykaas: G. J. Rheticus’ Treatise on holy scripture and the motion of the earth / with transl., annotations, commentary and additional chapters on Ramus-Rheticus and the development of the problem before 1650; Amsterdam: North-Holland, 1984

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