Histoire de l'astronomie

Abstract

THERE seems to be a demand in France for popular books on the history of astronomy, as we reviewed a book with the same title, by E. Doublet, a little more than two years ago (vol. 110, p. 600), and a similar work by E. Lebon was published in 1899. M. Boquet does not pretend to have studied the original works of astronomers of past ages, nor the extensive literature of monographs on special subjects. He merely claims to give a résumé of a number of books, of which he gives a list. His authorities range from original and valuable works like those of Delambre, Grant, and others, down to popular and uncritical books which he would have been better without. For to M. Boquet all authors of printed matter seem to be equally authoritative, and whenever they differ he leaves the decision as to who is right to the reader. An amusing example of this helplessness is found on p. 254. When speaking of Copernicus, the author says that “during the campaign of 1805, some authors say 1806, Napoleon visited the house in which Copernicus was born.” Surely it would have been easy to find out whether Napoleon was in Prussia in 1805 or not. As a matter of fact his visit to Thorn was in 1812. There are a great many cases like this throughout the book. The readiness of the author to accept any statement as true, no matter by whom it is made, so long as nobody has been of a different opinion, lets him accept as authentic the picture of “the well of Eratosthenes” published in 1914 in the Observatory magazine, as he has overlooked a refutation given in the same volume; and so in many other cases.

Histoire de l'astronomie.

Par F. Boquet. (Bibliothèque scientifique.) Pp. 510. (Paris: Payot et Cie, 1925.) 25 francs.