On the Shoulders of Giants: The Great Works of Physics and Astronomy is a compilation of scientific texts edited and with commentary by the British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking.[1] The book was published by Running Press in 2002.[2]
 Cover of On the Shoulders of Giants by Stephen Hawking | |
| Editor | Stephen Hawking |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Running Press |
Publication date | 2002 |
| Media type | Book |
| Pages | 1280 |
| ISBN | 9780762416981 |
| OCLC | 50632825 |
| Preceded by | The Universe in a Nutshell |
| Followed by | A Briefer History of Time |
Content
The book includes selections from the following works in English:
- On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres by Nicolaus Copernicus, which explains Copernicus' theory of heliocentrism: that the Sun, rather than Earth, lies in the center of the universe
- Two New Sciences by Galileo Galilei explains Galileo's discoveries in physics
- Mystery of the Cosmos, Harmony of the World and Rudolphine Tables by Johannes Kepler, which describes Kepler's theories and observations in astronomy
- Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy) by Sir Isaac Newton
- The Principle of Relativity by Albert Einstein
The book also includes five critical essays by Hawking and Hawking's biographies of the five scientists whose works are included.[2]