In the past few years, various publishers have released several titles on or related to Copernicus. Two that stand out for me are Dennis Danielson’s The First Copernican and Jack Repcheck’s Copernicus’ Secret. I interviewed both authors about their books. You can listen to my Danielson interview here and my interview with Repcheck here.
One book that I overlooked until recently is Uncentering the Earth by William T. Vollmann (released in paperback last year). This book is a member of Norton’s “Great Discoveries” series — non-science writers tackling complex scientific topics.
The other titles I mentioned are strictly historical accounts. Vollman’s book supplies a brief view of Copernicus and context of his time, but performs best as an illustration of Copernicus’ work, On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres. The book also provides a quick survey of scientific and religious perceptions of the universe’s origins prior to Copernicus’ groundbreaking work.
If you are looking for a more biographical study, pick up Repcheck’s book. Most readers may know the author through his World War II book, Europe Central. If you are a fan of Vollman’s narrative, his Copernicus account won’t disappoint.
You can find several copies of this book for under $5 on Amazon.com.