Dialogo di Galileo Galilei Linceo matematico sopraordinario dello studio di Pisa. E filosofo, e matematico primario del serenissimo gr. duca di Toscana. Doue ne i congressi di quattro giornate si discorre sopra i due massimi sistemi del mondo tolemaico, …

Three volumes. 8vo. These works together represent a paradigm shift in scientific thought, first theorized by Nicolaus Copernicus a century earlier. Of the Dialogo, the Encyclopaedia Britannica states "it would be difficult to find in any language a book in which animation and elegance of style are so happily combined with strength and clearness of scientific exposition..." and while the work cleverly disguises Galileo's advocacy for the Copernican model by framing the debate between this and the Ptolemaic system as an impartial dialogue, "It was at once evident that the whole tenor of this remarkable work was in flagrant contradiction with the edict passed sixteen years before its publication, as well as with the author's personal pledge of conformity to it." (Britannica, 11th ed., p. 408). The Catholic Church charged Galileo with heresy (which resulted in his being placed under house arrest for the remainder of his life) and placing the book on the Index of Forbidden Books. It would remain there until 1835, though an edition of the work was permitted to be printed in 1744, contingent upon the inclusion of an introduction by a Catholic theologian. The Opere, which was compiled by after Galileo's death by his disciple (and first biographer) Vincenzo Viviani, collects a number of previously unpublished works. Bound in following the printed text of the Dialogo is a handwritten transcription of Galileo's letter Alla Serenissima Madama La Granduchessa Madre, which he wrote to Christine of Lorraine, consort of Ferdinand I, Grand Duke of Tuscany, as well as the engraved title page of Galileo's Dialogus de Systemate Mundi (1641), and excerpts from Johannes Kepler and Paolo Antonio Foscarini. The Dialogo, the Opere, and the manuscript material together present an important snapshot in history, illustrating the major conflict between religious dogma and the evolving theories of the brilliant scientific minds of the day. Laid in is another manuscript item: a letter dated 1736, which describes the exhumation and reburial of Galileo's remains. This item provides some context regarding the initial reaction of the church to Galileo's work, and subsequent changes in their perspective: Galileo was originally buried in what amounted to a pauper's grave; it was not until much later, and with significant effort by Viviani on his teacher's behalf, that the church allowed Galileo's remains to be reinterred with the proper rites at the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, where he now rests adjacent to fellow scientific thinker Michelangelo. Rebound in vellum, probably in the mid-18th century based on the spine titles, which state 'Opere del Galileo Tome I, II, and III' (his Dialogo was suppressed, and not considered part of the Opere officially until 1744). Books 1 and 2 of the Opere are also labeled in ink on the page base, while Dialogo is not, which indicates this was probably done at a separate time (most likely earlier) than the rebinding. It is clear that whoever approached the task of rebinding these materials knew the significance of these works, and understood the value of gathering Galileo's suppressed publications together with those sanctioned by the church to provide a more complete picture of his contributions to scientific inquiry. This, along with the letter -- which represents the first step in what ultimately became the validation of Galileo's ideas in the eyes of the church -- offers scholars a clear picture of the man's influence, and the immense respect the previous owners of these editions had for his work.