Walcher of Malvern, De lunationibus and De Dracone

Study, Edition, Translation, and Commentary

By (author) Walcher of Malvern Edited by Philipp Nothaft

Book cover: Walcher of Malvern, De lunationibus and De Dracone

Extent: 346 pages

Publisher: Brepols Publishers

Subjects: Earth & Life Sciences , Medieval Studies

Series: De Diversis Artibus

Series volume number: 101

Language: English

Hardback (Published)

(April 2017)

ISBN: 9782503568768

Price: $125.00

In stock

Walcher, the prior of Great Malvern in Worcestershire (d. 1135), is a landmark figure in the history of medieval science, whose work brought the Latin computistical tradition to its apex while foreshadowing the twelfth-century Renaissance in mathematical astronomy. His most famous achievement is the observation of a lunar eclipse in 1092 with the aid of an astrolabe, which is the first of its kind to be recorded in a Latin source. In spite of his renown, Walcher’s writings have never received any close scrutiny and the precise rationale and modalities behind his observations and calculations remain ill-understood. This volume contains the first complete edition of Walcher’s two known treatises (De lunationibus and De Dracone), together with an English translation and a detailed commentary. An introductory study will elucidate the background to his scientific pursuits and situate them in the intellectual and disciplinary context of the late-eleventh and early-twelfth century, when Latin astronomy underwent a transformative period of lasting significance.

  • By (author) Walcher of Malvern
  • Edited by Philipp Nothaft