Books in Galileo’s Letters

Abstract

This chapter focuses on Galileo’s involvement in the book creation process, particularly his 1606 manual for the geometric and military compass, and letters that show the circulation of books and manuscripts to, through, and from him. In so doing, the author problematizes how books and their features are counted, raising questions about what mattered to book owners at the time. Letters provide evidence for how deeply embedded Galileo was in the production and distribution of a variety of books, but not necessarily because he wanted to consult the contents. In addition, for Galileo, the books were not important due to where or when they were published, but for their role as tokens of status and reputation management.