Herstelde astronomie. De laatste vroege editie van Copernicus’ De revolutionibus (Amsterdam 1617) en de rol van Mulerius en Blaeu

Abstract

Astronomy restored. The last of the early editions of Copernicus' De revolutionibus (Amsterdam 1617) and the role of Mulerius and Blaeu. The first edition of Nicolaus Copernicus' famous book De revolutionibus orbium coelestium was published in Nuremberg in 1543. Traditionally, that year is seen as the beginning of the scientific revolution. The debate about the earth revolving around the sun in reality, however, started only after 1600, when the first and second (1566) editions of Copernicus' work were already sold out. In 1616 De revolutionibus was placed on the Index. In 1617 the third edition was produced in Amsterdam, which has since that time been seen as an improvement compared with the preceding editions. De 1617- edition of De revolutionibus remained the standard edition until and even after the fourth edition was published in 1854. Nevertheless, the third edition has hardly been subject of study so far. Owen Gingerich takes in his Census (2002) of copies of Copernicus' book only the first two editions into account. The title of the 1617-edition reads Astronomia instaurata. The editor, who - according to the title page - 'restored' Copernicus' work, was a professor from Groningen: Nicolaus Mulerius. Mulerius himself was not a supporter of the heliocentric world view, but in humanist tradition he thought the work should be corrected and made available for scholars. However, many errors from the first editions are not corrected in the third. The positive impression Astronomia instaurata has made on contemporaries and on later historians is attributed to improvements in typography, illustrations and user friendlyness. For this, the Amsterdam printer Willem Jansz Blaeu was responsible. He was one of the first Copernicans in the Dutch Republic. Because of his knowledge as an astronomer and his possibilities as a printer, Blaeu could actively influence the presentation and dissemination of Copernicus' ideas.