This is a serious biography of Copernicus, the first man who established that the earth is moving. Aristarchus has said it earlier, but his book has been lost, and his theory was completely ignored. Therefore Copernius is considered to be the Founder of Modern Astronomy. Later, Galileo, because he admired him, had to face the inquisition.
This book includes the first translation in English of the excellent biography written in 1654 by Pierre Gassendi who was a French humanist and an astronomer himself. This old text renders very well the atmosphere of the Renaissance. This historical document is completed with up-to-date pieces of information found in the archives. Therefore, this book is the most detailed and acurate book about Copernicus, his life, his colleagues, and the reception of his system, with appendixes about the condemnation of heliocentrism, and the experiments proving the motion of the earth.
This is easy to read, although this is not a novel, every thing said is true. There is no idle talks, but mainly facts. It is not only about astronomy, but also about the life of people living in the 16th century.