Kepler's Witch

Isaac Newton said that if he had seen farther than others, it was because he was standing on the shoulders of giants : Nicolaus Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, Galileo Galilei, and Johannes Kepler. James A. Connor focuses on one of those giants in his largely untold story of the "Protestant Galileo," Johannes Kepler. Set against the backdrop of the witchcraft trial of his mother, Kepler's Witch brings to life the tidal forces of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, submerging us into these turbulent times, revealing not only the surprisingly spiritual nature of early modern science, but Kepler's role as a neglected hero of conscience. Besides the witchcraft trial records and testimonies, Conner has translated many of Kepler's diary entries and correspondence into English for the first time. With a great respect for the history of these times and the life of this man, Connor's story illuminates Kepler, a man of science, as well as Kepler, a man of uncommon faith and courage.