"Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love" by Dava Sobel (Repost)

The story of the famous scientist and his illegitimate daughter, Sister Maria Celeste. While Galileo tangled with the Church, Maria Celeste whose adopted name was a tribute to her father's fascination with the heavens provided moral and emotional support with her frequent letters, approving of his work because she knew the depth of his faith.

Galileo Galilei's telescopes allowed him to discover a new reality in the heavens. But for publicly declaring his astounding argument that the earth revolves around the sun he was accused of heresy and put under house arrest by the Holy Office of the Inquisition. Living a far different life, Galileo's daughter Virginia, a cloistered nun, proved to be her father's greatest source of strength through the difficult years of his trial and persecution.
Drawing upon the remarkable surviving letters that Virginia wrote to her father, Dava Sobel has written a fascinating history of Medici-era Italy, a mesmerizing account of Galileo's scientific discoveries and his trial by Church authorities, and a touching portrayal of a father-daughter relationship. Galileo's Daughter is a profoundly moving portrait of the man who forever changed the way we see the universe.

Contents
PART ONE. TO FLORENCE
I She who was so precious to you
II This grand book the universe
III Bright stars speak of your virtues
IV To have the truth seen and recognized
V In the very face of the sun
VI Observant executrix of God’s commands
VII The malice of my persecutors
VIII Conjecture here among shadows
PART TWO. ON BELLOSGUARDO
IX How our father is favored
X To busy myself in your service
XI What we require above all else
XII Because of our zeal
XIII Through my memory of their eloquence
XIV A small and trifling body
XV On the right path, by the grace of God
XVI The tempest of our many torments
PART THREE. IN ROME
XVII While seeking to immortalize your fame
XVIII Since the Lord chastises us with these whips
XIX The hope of having you always near
XX That I should be begged to publish such a work
PART FOUR. IN CARE OF THE TUSCAN EMBASSY, VILLA MEDICI, ROME
XXI How anxiously I live, awaiting word from you
XXII In the chambers of the Holy Office of the Inquisition
XXIII Vainglorious ambition, pure ignorance, and inadvertence
XXIV Faith vested in the miraculous Madonna of Impruneta
XXV Judgment passed on your book and your person
PART FIVE. AT SIENA
XXVI Not knowing how to refuse him the keys
XXVII Terrible destruction on the feast of San Lorenzo
XXVIII Recitation of the penitential psalms
XXIX The book of life, or, A prophet accepted in his own land
PART SIX. FROM ARCETRI
XXX My soul and its longing
XXXI Until I have this from your lips
XXXII As I struggle to understand
XXXIII The memory of the sweetnesses
In Galileo’s Time
Florentine Weights, Measures, Currency
Bibliography
Notes
Appreciation

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