Galileo Galilei

The shattering of the crystal spheres which Galileo’s contemporaries thought held the planets and the stars, with the sphere containing the stars representing the edge of the universe, is (along with Darwin’s discovery of evolution by natural selection) the biggest revolution in self-knowledge that mankind has undergone. --The Economist, Editorial, August 13, 2009

From Myth to History and Back, review by Stephen M. Barr of: Galileo in Rome: The Rise and Fall of a Troublesome Genius, by William R. Shea and Mariano Artigas; and Galileo’s Mistake: A New Look at the Epic Confrontation between Galileo and the Church, by Wade Rowland. First Things, January 2004

Between Father and Daughter, review by Elizabeth Powers of Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love, by Dava Sobel, First Things, March 2000