A giant of science, Galileo's achievements allow him to be bracketed alongside Newton, Einstein and Darwin. A devout Roman Catholic, his genius threw him into conflict with his Church and his refusal to back down turned him into a martyr for many. Here, bestselling author Michael White gets to grips with the man and the world he challenged. Both biography and exploration of a time when religious and scientific understanding had become deeply and dangerously intertwined, GALILEO ANTICHRIST traces the path that led to its subject's denunciation as a heretic. And here the story is tainted with the suggestion of conspiracy and cover up. For while it is perfectly possible to view Galileo's collision with the Catholic Church as near inevitable, White draws on evidence recently discovered in the Vatican archives to question the accepted reasons for his trial. In doing so he shows why Galileo became such a contentious figure, so contentious in fact that, centuries later, the Pope, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger felt driven to declare the process against the father of science as 'reasonable and just'.

Reviews

'White, a wily and wittily populist writer, combines solid history with a cunning conspiracy theory.' THE TIMES 'White's account rattles along, ably situating the man in the social and intellectual context of his time.' SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY 'If you like rip-roaring accounts of the battle between good and evil and are wondering where to go after Harry Potter VII this could be your book.' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'an exceptionally timely warning of the horrors of theocracy - both in the repression of the individual and in the inevitable stagnation of science.' -- Simon Callow THE GUARDIAN

Author Biography

Michael White was science editor of GQ and columnist for the Sunday Express. He is the author of several bestselling science biographies and splits his time between London and Perth, Australia. His websiste is michaelwhite.com.au