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The Life of Galileo Galilei

John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune · 1830

An early 19th-century English biography of Galileo, including a list of his works, written for general readers.

A biography written about Galileo nearly two centuries after his death, showing how later generations studied his life and work.

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The Life of Galileo GalileiPDF · 182 pages
John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune, The Life of Galileo Galilei, 1830. Scanned book, Internet Archive.

About this source

What it is

This is a book titled The Life of Galileo Galilei, with Illustrations of the Advancement of Experimental Philosophy, written by John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune and published in 1830 in London. It includes a list of Galileo's works.

Why it matters

This biography shows how Galileo was remembered and studied nearly two centuries after his death. It reflects how 19th-century writers presented Galileo's discoveries to a general audience as part of the history of science.

Look closer

  • Why might a 19th-century author want to write about Galileo's life?
  • How might a biography written 200 years later differ from one written by someone who knew Galileo?
  • What does the title suggest about how the author viewed Galileo's importance?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Galileo Galilei on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Title page of the 1610 Latin book Sidereus Nuncius by Galileo Galilei, printed in Venice by Thomas Baglionus. Black text in several type styles, with a central woodcut emblem of a seated figure in an oval frame flanked by cherubs. Handwritten shelfmark appears at the bottom.Book

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Galileo Galilei · 1610

Engraved oval portrait print of a bearded older man with receding hair, wearing a white collar and a buttoned dark coat, in an oval frame. Inscribed 'Galileus Galileus Florentinus' at top, 'Eques Octavius Leonus' and 'Romanus pictor fecit' at bottom, and dated '16 24' with 'Superiorum licentia'. Printed on cream paper with a grayscale color scale at right.Painting

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Portrait of Galileo Galilei (1624 print)

1624

Oil portrait of an elderly bearded man with a white collar, wearing a black robe, seated at a table with books, a pair of dividers in his raised hand, and a celestial globe to the left, in a dark background. A brass plaque on the frame reads Galileo Galilei.Painting

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Oil Portrait of Galileo in His Study

Unknown Italian painter · 18th century (?)

Oval-framed line engraving of an older bearded man in a large white collar and dark doublet, with a Latin inscription above reading Galileus Galileus Florentinus, and an artist credit below. Handwritten Italian caption on mount beneath.Painting

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Galileo Galilei, line engraving by Ottavio Leoni

Ottavio Leoni · 1624

Title page of the 1632 Florentine edition of Galileo Galilei's Dialogo, printed in large serif capitals with a decorative woodcut emblem, imprint 'In Fiorenza, Per Gio: Batista Landini MDCXXXII', and several library stamps and handwritten shelf marks.Book

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Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems

Galileo Galilei · 1632

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