Copernicus
Nicolaus Copernicus
De Revolutionibus
Published in Nuremberg in 1543, De Revolutionibus was Nicolaus Copernicus' mature work. In the words of the philosopher of science Thomas Kuhn, the book "inaugurates the upheaval in astronomical and cosmological thought that we call the Copernican Revolution."
The book was revolutionary for the way in which Copernicus (1473-1543) situated the sun, rather than the earth, at the center of the universe. This represented an important innovation because it offered a theory that could explain a number of phenomena that had previously proved difficult, such as the retrograde motions of the planets, which had been described as “wanderers.” But this was also a radical change. It flew in the face of centuries of tradition enshrined by Ptolemy’s Almagest, which had the earth at the center of the universe. In many ways, the impact went beyond astronomy. Copernicus’ “heliocentric hypothesis" also transformed Western culture's longstanding anthropocentric self-understanding.
The book has a preface by Osiander suggesting that Copernicus' theory did not claim to depict accurately the universe, merely that it facilitated astronomical calculations. This represented an effort to assuage defenders of the traditional Ptolemaic understanding of the universe. The preface’s emphasis on calculation may have helped the book gain attention. More importantly, it may have stopped the book from being immediately condemned.
For a scan of Copernicus's De Revolutionibus, see Lehigh's exhibit The Problem of the Planets.
Also, see Lehigh's exhibit "Heavenly Spheres: Works in Early Astronomy at Lehigh":