Misinformative Books from Surprising Places
Misinformation. It is a big topic these days, and a big problem. And when the topic is astronomy and the Copernican Revolution, misinformation abounds, even in the relatively durable, more controlled medium of books. “Caveat lector!” applies to this topic—“Let the reader beware!” Two recently-published books are especially disappointing in this regard. One book especially disappoints because it misinforms despite being a product of the most reputable sort of scholarly publishing. The other book especially disappoints because it misinforms despite being a product of Catholic organizations and Catholic authors who sought to create a book for younger readers that in part corrects misinformation. The scholarly book is The Shogun’s Silver Telescope: God, Art, and Money in the English Quest for Japan, 1600-1625, published in 2020 by Oxford University Press (OUP). The author is Timon Screech, Professor of the History of Art at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. SOAS’s web site says that SOAS is … Continue reading →