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Summary: For Book-Lovers, Historians & Theologians
Review: This is the story of a man and his book.The man is Michael Servetus. He was a brilliant young Spaniard born into a world of religious upheaval and burgeoning science. Though he would become a well-respected physician who was the first (even before Harvey) to discover pulmonary circulation, he ran into trouble when he passionately espoused anti-Trinitarian beliefs--beliefs deemed heresy not only by the Roman Catholic Church but by important Protestant strongholds as well. The book is Christianismi Restituto. It was in this book that Servetus argued his unitarian stand and put forth his idea of pulmonary circulation. What was believed to be the last known copy of this book was chained to Servetus' leg as he was burned at the stake in Geneva in 1553. Of course, the book did survive; otherwise, there would be no story to tell and Servetus would be lost to history. In fact, as we learn through the pages of this wonderful book by the Goldstones, three copies of the book survived and are now extremely valuable. As a book collector, the story of the provenance of the three surviving copies is fascinating in itself. But there is much more of interest here than the story of a book. Much along the lines of the trend started by Dava Sobel in Longitude, the Goldstones tell the story of a much forgotten but most important moment in history. Amid the background of the development of printing and the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation, we learn of a man who made a huge scientific discovery that was basically forgotten for most of a century and re-discovered by the man who is usually credited with the discovery (Harvey). But, more importantly, we learn of a man who is swept up in the spirit of Protestantism and yet is destroyed by the very forces he helped to create. In fact, the story of the conflict between Servetus and Calvin is the most fascinating part of this book. In a world where the word "Inquisition" is a staple of criticism against the Roman Catholic church, it is important to be reminded that Protestant churches were often quick to burn those they considered heretics as well. Which makes it even more ironic that one of the three original surviving copies of this heretical book is Calvin's personal copy. All in all, this is a fascinating book. It is a wonderful history not only of a person but also of an era of upheaval and intellectual ferment. Anyone interested in book collecting, theology or Renaissance history will enjoy this book.
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Summary: History, bookhunting, and theology all in one
Review: This was a hard book to put down. I enjoyed every bit of it. Besides a good view of historical events in the Europe of the 16th and 17th centuries, this book offers insights into the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, along with the nature of the theological disputes between Servetus and Calvin. Particularly enjoyable were the parts tracing the provenance of the three surviving copies of "Christianisimi Restitutio". How ironic that Calvin's copy was one of the three survivors---and it was he who ordered all copies burned!
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