Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter 3
2. PREFACE 5
3. TABLE OF CONTENTS 7
4. INTRODUCTION 9
5. CHAPTER I. COMETARY THEORY TO THE END OF THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY 13
6. CHAPTER II. COMETARY THEORYFROMTHEBEGINNINGOFTHEFIFTEENTHCENTURYTO1577 66
7. CHAPTER III.THE COMET OF 1577: BELIEVERS IN ITS SUPRA-LUNARPOSITION 118
8. CHAPTER IV. THE COMET OF 1577: THOSE WHOSE COMPUTATIONS OF ITS PARALLAX PLACED THE COMET BENEATH THE MOON 184
9. CHAPTER V. THE COMET OF 1577: MEN WITH A SCIENTIFIC BACKGROUND WHO MADE NO ATTEMPT TO MEAS-URE THE COMET’S DISTANCE 234
10. CHAPTER VI. THE COMET OF 1577: PREACHERS AND POETS WHO USED THE COMET MERELY AS A THEME TO FURTHER THEIR OWN PURPOSE 248
11. CHAPTER VII. THE COMET OF 1577: TRACTS BY PERSONS OF GENERAL CULTURE, ILLUSTRATING THE WIDESPREAD INTEREST IN NATURE 272
12. CHAPTER VIII. THE COMET OF 1577: AUTHORS WHOSE TRACTS WERE PRIMARILY ASTROLOGICAL AND PREDICATORY 296
13. CHAPTER IX. CONCLUSION 307
14. APPENDIX. A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF TRACTS AND TREATISES ON THE COMET OF 1577 318
15. BIBLIOGRAPHY OF REFERENCES 431
16. INDEX 473
17. Backmatter 489