Product Description

A real-life Amadeus: Set against the backdrop of the Counter-Reformation, this is the story of the stormy collaboration between two revolutionary astronomers, Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler. That collaboration would mark the dawn of modern science . . . and end in murder.

Johannes Kepler changed forever our understanding of the universe with his three laws of planetary motion. He demolished the ancient model of planets moving in circular orbits and laid the foundation for the universal law of gravitation, setting physics on the course of revelation it follows to this day. Kepler was one of the greatest astronomers of all time. Yet if it hadn't been for the now lesser-known Tycho Brahe, the man for whom Kepler apprenticed, Kepler would be a mere footnote in today's science books. Brahe was the Imperial Mathematician at the court of the Holy Roman Emperor in Prague and the most famous astronomer of his era. He was one of the first great systematic empirical scientists and one of the earliest founders of the modern scientific method. His forty years of planetary observations—an unparalleled treasure of empirical data—contained the key to Kepler's historic breakthrough. But those observations would become available to Kepler only after Brahe's death. This groundbreaking history portrays the turbulent collaboration between these two astronomers at the turn of the seventeenth century and their shattering discoveries that would mark the transition from medieval to modern science.

But that is only half the story. Based on recent forensic evidence (analyzed here for the first time) and original research into medieval and Renaissance alchemy—all buttressed by in-depth interviews with leading historians, scientists, and medical specialists—the authors have put together shocking and compelling evidence that Tycho Brahe did not die of natural causes, as has been believed for four hundred years. He was systematically poisoned—most likely by his assistant, Johannes Kepler.

An epic tale of murder and scientific discovery, Heavenly Intrigue reveals the dark side of one of history’s most brilliant minds and tells the story of court politics, personal intrigue, and superstition that surrounded the protean invention of two great astronomers and their quest to find truth and beauty in the heavens above.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #510477 in Books
• Published on: 2004
• Released on: 2004-05-18
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Novelist Joshua Gilder (Ghost Image) and his wife, former TV producer and investigative reporter Anne-Lee Gilder, offer a startling twist on the story of the troubled relationship of Tycho Brahe and his assistant, Johannes Kepler-who together laid the foundation for modern astronomy-and Brahe's unexpected and suspicious death at age 54 in 1601. The cause of Brahe's death had been debated for 400 years, but in 1991, forensic study of remains of Brahe's hair discovered lethal levels of mercury in his system. Dismissing other medical explanations for the mercury levels, the Gilders conclude that Brahe was murdered by Kepler, whose own work on the three laws of planetary motion-laws that changed human understanding of the universe-would remain incomplete without Brahe's closely guarded observational data. The authors weave together the personal histories of Brahe and Kepler, as well as the political, religious and scientific debates that raged during their lives. They find evidence of Kepler's obsessive desire to obtain Brahe's observations in letters by the young scientist, whom they portray in 20th-century diagnostic terms as a sociopath, permanently scarred by an abusive childhood. The Gilders' portrait of Kepler is interesting, albeit unpleasant; they catalogue his penchant for fallings out, paranoia and scheming in off-putting detail, and the explanations of his early scientific theories, which were wrong and impenetrably dense, will not be of universal interest. The writing is professional but not noteworthy, and the Gilders occasionally stretch the inconclusive evidence into speculations too thin to persuade.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Kepler has always ranked as one of the great geniuses of Renaissance science. But two investigative reporters now wish to place him in a very different pantheon: that of brilliant Renaissance criminals. Interpreting astonishing new forensic evidence in the light of careful archival research, the Gilders allege that Kepler used his powerful mind to plot the perfect murder, secretly poisoning his employer--the astronomer Tycho Brahe--to secure astronomical data he needed to advance his own pioneering work. The authors recount a familiar story in chronicling the improbable events that gave the audacious Kepler his post as a disgruntled assistant to the flamboyant but conceptually cautious Brahe. However, the Gilders depart dramatically from the long-standard history in explaining the death of the Danish astronomer. In new X-ray emission studies of Brahe's remains, the Gilders find proof that the astronomer died of mercury poisoning--not from natural causes, as previously assumed. Through some sharp-eyed sleuthing, the authors then build a strong circumstantial case against Kepler as the cunning culprit. Their remarkable detective work will win praise from mystery buffs and historians alike. Bryce Christensen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
“…Heavenly Intrigue is a delight. …crisply written … an enthralling read, as a murder mystery being investigated four centuries after the death. …informative and entertaining…”
- WASHINGTON POST BOOKWORLD



“The authors present cutting-edge forensic evidence of mercury poison in Brahe's remains. To further build their case, they offer transcripts of letters and papers never before translated from Latin and interpretations from historians of astronomy. … The story is carefully documented and the science behind the men's work is clearly laid out.”
- SCIENCE NEWS



“The husband and wife team of Joshua and Anne- Lee Gilder are a couple of latter- day Heinrich Schliemanns … like a historical CSI team, [the Gilders] make a very good case for Brahe’s death by poisoning with Kepler as the poisoner.”
- BOOKPAGE




“… the Gilders have produced a brilliant, readable, and original historical work that ought to convince readers that one of history’s greatest scientist committed a cold-blooded murder.”
- NATIONAL REVIEW




“…a fascinating story, told simply and elegantly … just as fascinating as the forensic detective work is the Gilders' portrait of the age in which the two men struggled toward a greater clarity about the cosmos.”
- THE WASHINGTON TIMES




“…plenty of intellectual enjoyment and reading pleasure.”
- Arizona Daily Star




“The Medicine Men recommend this chronicle for readers who like astronomy, history, biographies or mysteries.”
- Robert J. Cihak, M.D., past president of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons for Jewishworldreview.com


“Kepler demonstrably had the motive, knowledge, and opportunity to destroy his mentor, from whose observations he derived his laws of planetary motion. The authors marshal the evidence effectively and vividly paint the historical context of their tale. …a fascinating story.”
- KIRKUS REVIEWS




“Through some sharp-eyed sleuthing, the authors then build a strong circumstantial case against Kepler as the cunning culprit. Their remarkable detective work will win praise from mystery buffs and historians alike.”
- BOOKLIST



“…a startling twist on the story of the troubled relationship of Tycho Brahe and his assistant, Johannes Kepler.”
- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY