Science in the Middle Ages

Yesterday morning I picked up a book a friend of mine was reading to give it a brief look. The title sounded interesting enough, and I thought I'd check it out - if it's decent then maybe I'd pick up a copy. As often happens with me, I got caught by a chapter and had a hard time putting the book down.

Yes, this is what I'd call light reading.

This time the chapter that snagged me was on medieval cosmology. I've been really interested in this lately, and the part of this book dealing with it is awesome. Lindberg clearly details the major cosmological beliefs in play in medieval Europe, ties them back to their origins in Aristotle's works, briefly compares them to what's being done in the middle-east, and talks about the style of medieval European scholarly works (with a very nice bit on the sort of questions scholars asked and debated), and all the while his writing style is clear and very readable.

So the verdict comes back: Yes, this is one for my bookshelf.