The English Galileo

Harriot's Work on Motion in Context.- Thomas Harriot: Practical Mathematician and Pioneer of Modern Science.- Harriot and the Challenge of Projectile Motion.- An Introduction to Harriot's Manuscripts on Motion.- Major Strands of Harriot's Work on Motion.- Mathematical Analysis of the Motion of Fall.- Free Fall Experiments and Their Evaluation: The "Weight" of Falling Bodies.- Free Fall Experiments and Their Evaluation: Motion in a Medium.- Graphical Construction of Projectile Trajectories.- Exploration of the Inclined-Plane Conception of Projectile Motion.- Conclusion.- Shared Knowledge and Alternative Solutions in Harriot's and Galileo's Work on Motion.- Facsimile and Transcription.- Notes and Conventions.- Thomas Harriot's Notes on Projectile Motion and the Fall of Bodies.

From the reviews:

"This book is an ambitious attempt to catalogue and interpret the unpublished manuscripts on mechanics by English mathematician and philosopher, Thomas Harriot ... . Schemmel's contribution to this project focuses on Harriot's attempts to describe bodies in motion, particularly projectiles. ... Readers specialising in the history of mechanics and motion would undoubtedly learn a great deal about Harriot ... ." (Luciano Boschiero, Metascience, Vol. 21, 2012)

"The English Galileo offers the first comprehensive study of Harriot's work on motion. More specifically, the book is devoted to the reconstruction, detailed analysis, and interpretation of Harriot's work on projectile motion and the free fall of bodies. ... Matthias Schemmel has considerably enhanced our knowledge not only of Harriot but also of the development of mechanical knowledge. ... Schemmel's work is an outstanding contribution to a better understanding of the rise of a mechanical worldwide. Admirers of Galileo will also become admirers of Harriot." (William R. Shea, Mathematical Reviews, Issue 2012 g)

"The title of the book is absolutely justified. The author argues that both Galilei and Harriot worked within a framework that he calls preclassical mechanics. It is a mix of several elements. It consists of parts of old traditions like Aristotelian physics combined with the knowledge of practitioners like gunners. ... Schemmel did a wonderful job and ... this book about the crucial transition from preclassical mechanics to classical mechanics represents the beginning of more work on Harriot." (Teun Koetsier, Zentralblatt MATH, Vol. 1244, 2012)

"Matthias Schemmel in his superb edition of Harriot's work on free fall and projectile motion has independently used the same technique of facsimile and commentary. ... The second of his two volumes consists entirely of reproductions of the 180 folios he has selected from Harriot's work on motion under gravity,