The Sleepwalkers
In this detailed and interesting book Arthur Koestler takes a look at the history of cosmology. Beginning with the Babylonians and Ancient Greeks and working his way through several important figures such as Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo and Newton, he shows how our understanding of the universe has changed throughout the centuries.
While the history of science is an interesting topic on its own, this book goes much further. Delving into the political and personal biases of each great figure we also learn about how changing attitudes affected scientific discovery and research. The influence of religion and spirituality is also discussed, making this not only a fascinating account of scientific thought but also a study in philosophy and sociology.