Prologue: A journey to Rome.- The musician's son.- A gifted young Tuscan.- To Rome and the Jesuits.- A Surveyor of Inferno.- The spheres from the tower.- From Pisa to Padua.- Signs in the sky.- De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium.- Lecturer and designer.- A professor's commitments.- Modern physics is born.- A new star in an unchanging sky?- Drawing close to a court.- The balls fall into place.- The Roman style.- The tube with the long perspective.- A new world.- Jupiter's sons.- Johann Kepler, Imperial Mathematician.- Several signs in the sky.- Friendship and power.- A dispute about objects that float in water.- Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon!- The letter to Castelli.- "How to go to heaven, not how the heavens go".- Foolish and absurd in philosophy, formally heretical.- The hammer of the heretics.- Deaths and omens.- Comets portend disaster.- Weighing the words of others on gold-scales.- A marvellous combination of circumstances.- War and heresy.- European power struggle and Roman nephews.- The old and the new.- "An advantageous decree".- Two wise men - and a third.- The Inquisition's chambers.- Diplomacy in the time of the plague.- An order from the top.- "Nor further to hold, teach, or defend it in any way whatsoever".- Convinced with reasons.- "I, Galileo Galilei".- Eternity.- A death and two new sciences.- The meeting with infinity.- "That universe ... is not any greater than the space I occupy".- Epilogue.- Postscript.- Appendix.- Sources.- Name Index.- References.

From the reviews: Most scientific biographies are written by scientists. This one isn't. And my goodness doesn't it show. The prose sings, the story flows effortlessly, and the exposition is refreshingly centred on humanitarian aspects. The character, lifestyle, social context, and motivation of the subject spring into life. The book is an absolute joy, not only for its insight into the accomplishments of one of the world's greatest scientists, but also for its historic review of the scientific turmoil caused by relegating planet Earth from its religious and philosophical position at the centre of the cosmos to its present-day role as a rather insignificant member of the Sun's family of eight planets. The Observatory: a review of astronomy, vol. 126, no. 1190, p. 55 (Feb. 2006) [by David W. Hughes]. [...] Naess weaves an excellent account of the story of Galileo. Addressed to the sophisticated general reader, it is an account that is alive, articulate, and well constructed, and one that provides the important larger context that surrounds the drama itself. This reviewer recommends it highly to anyone interested in a succinct and comprehensive look at the "saga" of Galileo. MAA Online book review columne, Alexander J. Hahn, October 2005 The complete review can be found here: http://www.maa.org/reviews/naessgalileo.html [...] Atle Naess knows how to write a readable book. He wastes no time on padding. He weaves the history, the personalities and the technicalities together expertly, with a sure eye for an interesting detail and an ability to cut through the myths, propaganda and speculation that surround the Galileo case. [...] The aim of the book is a short introduction to introduce the man and whet the appetite for his ideas. It is a resounding success. by James Franklin, Univ of New South Wales, Sydney Gazette, The Australian Mathematical Society, Volume 32, Number 4, 2005, "The mathematician and physicist Galileo Galilei is one of the most famous scientists of all time. The story of his life and times ... is brought vividly to life in this book. Atle Naess has written a gripping account of one of the great figures in European history." (WWW. firstscience.com, September 12, 2005) "Not too many biographies of great scientists are as felicitously written as this new one ... . a delightful read but ... is as historically accurate as one would hope. ... very adequately referenced. ... The translation into english is excellent. This book brought home to me the full extent ... . Anyone with an interest in the life and times of Galileo will adore this new account ... . It is beautifully printed, attractively bound ... . Highly recommended." (Australian Physics, Vol. 42 (2), May/June, 2005) "I found this book fascinating. Much of the argument ... revolves around the famous trial of Galileo for heresy in 1633. ... The background of the build up to the trial with all the necessary detail is handled in a masterly manner ... . There are 13 pages of index and references which will allow the assiduous reader to delve further into the scientific life of seventeenth century Italy - a journey well worth making ... a book worth buying." (M. L. Perkins, The Mathematical Gazette, Vol. 90 (518), 2006) "Galileo Galilei was not only one of the most outstanding 16th century scientists, but he also suffered for the last nine years of his life ... . This biography deals with both these aspects, making full use of recent historical research. Altogether is presents a rounded picture of his life in a highly readable account." (Mathematika, Vol. 52, 2005) "Galileo Galilei was not only one of the most outstanding 16th century scientists, but he also suffered for the last nine years of his life ... . This biography deals with both these aspects, making full use of recent historical research. Altogether it presents a rounded picture of his life in a highly readable account." (Mathematika, Vol. 52, 2005)