First edition of Commandino's translation of the first treatise to put forward the heliocentric hypothesis.

"Aristarchus is celebrated as being the first man to have propounded a heliocentric theory, eighteen centuries before Copernicus… It is interesting to note in passing that Copernicus' disappointment at being anticipated by Aristarchus has recently come to light. Copernicus deliberately suppressed a statement acknowledging his awareness of Aristarchus' theory… On Sizes and Distances marks the first attempt to determine astronomical distances and dimensions by mathematical deductions based upon a set of assumptions." --Dictionary of Scientific Biography, I, p.246-48.

"This treatise is of great mathematical interest because of its containing the calculation of ratios which are...[ Read more ]

First edition of Commandino's translation of the first treatise to put forward the heliocentric hypothesis.

"Aristarchus is celebrated as being the first man to have propounded a heliocentric theory, eighteen centuries before Copernicus… It is interesting to note in passing that Copernicus' disappointment at being anticipated by Aristarchus has recently come to light. Copernicus deliberately suppressed a statement acknowledging his awareness of Aristarchus' theory… On Sizes and Distances marks the first attempt to determine astronomical distances and dimensions by mathematical deductions based upon a set of assumptions." --Dictionary of Scientific Biography, I, p.246-48.

"This treatise is of great mathematical interest because of its containing the calculation of ratios which are in fact trigonometrical ratios." --Sarton, I, p.156-57.