Explore R. S. Ball books at New West Press.

R. S. Ball's Great Astronomers approaches the history of astronomy through the lives and achievements of major figures. Ptolemy, Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, and others appear in accounts that connect observation and discovery with personal experience. This collection centers on Ball's historical volume, giving readers a way to follow changes in the understanding of the heavens through individual investigations. The biographical structure makes room for training, tools, difficulties, and the reception of new ideas. Readers can compare how different astronomers worked within, and sometimes challenged, the knowledge available to them.

Biography connects a person's choices with the circumstances of an earlier age. As you read, follow the relationship between private experience and public events, and consider the perspective from which the life is being told. A timeline or map can provide useful context. This selection offers a starting point for readers interested in historical lives and the ways they are remembered.