[.ca] Heavenly Intrigue: Johannes Kepler, Tycho Brahe, and the ... (ISBN 0385508441)

Taking the quest for knowledge to extremes:
Historical murder mysteries are invariably captivating reading. When the case occurs three centuries in the past, prosecuting it would seem unspeakably difficult. However, modern forensic techniques can overcome the ravages of time, as the authors demonstrate. When the victim is one of the giants of his times, the effort almost seems worthy of investigation. Whether their case is proven, however, remains questionable. The authors of this book take painstaking care to weave a plausible plot for the unusual death of Tycho Brahe in 1601. Brahe was the first serious observational astronomer in Europe. A devoted empiricist, he took nothing from past "authorities". Only "seeing it for himself" satisfied his need to unravel the mysteries of the heavens. Brahe's abilities and forceful personality brought him wide acclaim. It also brought him the most famous observatories in European history - Uraniborg Castle in Denmark and Benatky near Prague. In line with these fabulous sites, Brahe constructed massive instruments to enable him to make the most precise measurements of the heavens then available. Brahe's obsession with accuracy was recorded in volumes of notes. Too busy watching the stars to analyse his own data, the numbers became the obsession of the defendant in the case, Johannes Kepler. Unlike Brahe's aristocratic background, Kepler was from straightened circumstances. His father had even abandoned the family to fight in the religious wars. His humble beginnings were later offset by an intolerable arrogance - the first step in the Gilder's brief. With monumental mathematical skills he initiated a new theory of planetary motion. For centuries, astrology, of which Kepler was a avowed advocate, was based on a circular orbit. Kepler constructed a new model of planet movement. The proofs, however, lay in Brahe's four decades of observations. How to obtain them became his life's obsession. According to the Gilders, it finally led him to murder. The Gilders recount the sudden onset of urinary problems Brahe suffered during one of the ostentatious banquets he attended. Although there was a period of recovery, Brahe was again subject to the symptoms, finally succumbing. None suspected foul play might have been involved until a 20th Century analysis indicated something was amiss. From the data, the Gilders attempt to reconstruct a scenario. Eliminating various suspects and other causes, such as mishandling toxic materials, they conclude Brahe was the victim of Kepler's ambition to obtain Brahe's data. Although the case is strong, it's hardly air-tight. The biggest flaw is their inability to place Kepler with Brahe at the appropriate times. Motive is the strongest evidence, but hardly convincing enough. Still, this remains an exciting story, offering many insights into the characters' abilities and motivations. \ostephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada\c

Great narrative history!:
This is a great book that I can highly recommend to anyone who liked The Professor and the Madman, Galileo's Daughter and other narrative histories of science. Heavenly Intrigue is a lot like Galileo's Daughter, too, in the sense that the authors translate a lot of Kepler's letters here for the first time, in this case showing us a dark side to the great scientist never revealed before.

Great Read:
CSI should make this an episode. There are so many pieces of evidence that the authors weave together to come to their pretty startling conclusion - that one of the greatest astronomer of all time (Kepler) probably poisoned another one of the greatest astronomers of all time (Brahe) to get a hold of his planetary observations. The authors don't say they can prove Kepler did it, just that all the evidence points in his direction. And they've found a lot of evidence in letters no one has published before, at least in English. If I were on the jury, I think I'd vote to convict.

A real-life murder Mystery:
This is an extraordinary book: a narrative history of science that doubles as a real-life murder mystery. First the authors open a window on a fascinating time, when astronomy, astrology and even alchemy were all considered different branches of the same science. The authors do a wonderful job bringing those times alive and writing about the sciences in a way that is totally accessible to even a liberal arts major like me. I especially enjoyed the sections on Tycho Brahe's alchemy, and the authors' deep research into his mercury drug, which convinced them that it was a by-product of Brahe's lab that was used to poison him. Then the authors use modern forensics and medical knowledge, along with a Law-and-Order type analysis of motive, means and opportunity to pin Kepler - his assistant at the time, and one of history's most famous astronomers -- as the most likely culprit. I found it all fascinating and entirely plausible.

A Step Too Far:
I debated over whether or not to read this book. I am fascinated by the relationship between Johannes Kepler and the lesser known but crucially important Tycho Brahe. Still, it was only about a year ago that I read Kitty Ferguson's excellent book, Tycho & Kepler. In addition, I was rather turned off by the Gilders' assertion that Kepler had murdered Brahe in order to get his astronomical data. Ultimately, however, I felt I had to give the book a chance. There is a lot of good stuff here. Though not as in-depth as Ferguson, the Gilders produce a very readable outline of the lives and relationship between Kepler & Brahe. It is solid prose that reads very quickly and hits all of the major points. I also enjoy their use of primary sources such as Kepler's letters and other writings. I felt I had a much more personal understanding of Kepler--his obsessions and irritations--after reading this. However, it is clear the Gilders prefer Brahe and, though I feel he is very underrated historically, he is by no means an angel himself. Still, if they wouldn't have gotten into the forensic information about Brahe's death they would have written a wonderful dual biography. So, what to make of this forensic evidence? I am generally suspect of these investigations because what can you really know for sure 400 years after the fact? Well, I found their evidence very convincing of one thing: that Tycho Brahe was murdered, most likely by mercury poisoning. On the other hand, I felt their assertion that Kepler was the perpetrator much less convincing. Certainly, Kepler was difficult to work with and sometimes weak on ethics where his science was concerned; however, it is a long way from jerk to murderer. Brahe was a nobleman recently expelled from his homeland by his enemies now dealing with a court at Prague ruled by an increasingly mad "emperor." No one knows the extent of Brahe's household including servants and minor assistants at the time of his death. Certainly Kepler ranked high among Brahe's assistants but the two did not really get along. Is it likely that Brahe would have had Kepler at his side during an excruciating illness, taking a cup of mercury-laced milk from him at his bedside? I don't think so. And could Kepler have kept this murder a secret when he was so apt to rage and verbal self-flagellation? Again, I don't think so. Ultimately, I think the Gilders have done a service by bringing out the simple fact of Brahe's murder. I, for one, had never come across such an assertion in my reading and I am glad to know it. But they go too far to accuse Kepler. There is a tendency these days to fling whatever mud we can at the "great men" of history. Kepler may not have been a great, or even a good, man but he was a great intellect and there is little to prove him a murderer. Unfortunately, the truth of Brahe's death will likely never be known.