| This intriguing biography from the Oxford Portraits in Science series discusses the life and work of Johannes Kepler (1571 -1630). Trained in theology, Kepler accepted a position as a mathematics teacher. He then went to the assistance of noted astronomer Tycho Brahe and became the imperial mathematician for Rudolf II of the Holy Roman Empire. Kepler lived in tumultuous times and suffered the religious persecution of his family and the trial of his mother for witchcraft, along with disease, war, and the deaths of loved ones. Nevertheless, he managed to discover the three laws of planetary motion, to calculate the movements and positions of the planets with great accuracy, and to do important work in optics as well. Voelkel weaves the many strands of Kepler's story into an intricate but satisfying narrative. To be illustrated with reproductions of period portraits, prints, and documents. A fine addition to both science and biography collections. |