Scandaglio sopra la Libra Astronomica et Filosofica di Lotario Sarsi nella controversia delle Comete. e particolararmente delle tre ultimamente vedute l'Anno 1618.

Bookseller Notes

'In 1618 three comets attracted the attention of Europe and became the subject of many pamphlets and books. One such book was printed anonymously by Orazio Grassi, mathematician of the Jesuit Roman College. Galileo, bedridden at the time [and thus unable to observe the comets], discussed his views on comets with Guiducci, who then delivered lectures on them to the Florentine Academy, and published them over his own name... [Grassi's response to the criticism] was a direct attack under the pseudonym of Lotario Sarsi, published in 1619' (DSB). This defence of Galileo, a rare book, is by the brother of the publisher of the Saggiatore (Galileo's own response to Grassi, containing large sections copied directly from Scandaglio), published by the prototypographer of Terni. The comet dispute masked the larger enmity between Galileo and the Jesuits.This copy has been carefully conserved. A number of faults and repairs have to be listed, but the majority of the book is pleasant enough. The catalogue entry for the copy in Oklahoma has 'Two unrecorded printed correction slips pasted on p. 69' - present here, as in 2 digitised copies - they are easy to overlook. Cambridge only in COPAC (Whipple Collection), and 3 in north America (Oklahoma, Michigan, Thomas Fisher). Most copies have but 1 page of errata, here we have 2: the first on a recto, and the second on the verso of another leaf, and the 2 leaves, blank on verso and recto respectively, stuck together.The Vallemani and the Stelluti were clans inter-related by marriage.Only Michigan and Oklahoma copies recorded in the US.