Galileo's Sidereus nuncius: A comparison of the proof copy (New York) with other paradigmatic copies (Vol. I). Needham: Galileo makes a book: the first edition of Sidereus nuncius, Venice 1610 (Vol. II)

Galileo Galilei’s Sidereus Nuncius or "Sidereal Messenger" published in Venice in 1610, is one of those books that rewrote history, as did Copernicus’ De revolutionibus and Newton’s Principia. Its author’s use of the telescope made it clear for the first time that celestial bodies like the moon have a surface just as craggy as Earth’s. Galilei also realized that planets such as Jupiter form the center of their own planetary systems. His book would transform humanity’s view of the cosmos forever.