Review

Ruiz Morales, M. (2021). Curiosidades Cosmográficas. Review

0000-0002-1781-9480Lizzet García Corona^{1  *} 

¹Universidad de Guantánamo. Cuba.

Mario Ruiz Morales is a geographer engineer, PhD in Exact Sciences and professor at the School of Civil Engineering of the University of Granada. He is an expert in Geodesy and Cartography who, for many years, taught these subjects to university students.

The author of the book ^{Ruiz Morales (2021}) departs from the traditional description of historical facts to concentrate on emphasizing lesser known aspects of the episodes themselves, and comparing the similarities and differences that governed the processing of ideas in various pseudo-educated societies scattered throughout the ancient world during the evolution of civilization. This style of highlighting the space-time contrast makes for entertaining and engaging reading as it shows that humanity's progress is indifferent to local culture or geographic location and is fully capable of achieving the same scientific result, albeit using totally independent indigenous procedures.

This digital book, edited by ING, describes the intriguing journey that germinated in antiquity and progressively enhanced our understanding of similar and sister sciences such as cartography, navigation, astronomy and geodesy; all essential ingredients of cosmography. The book consists of twelve chapters, in which information of particular interest is offered to all those readers who are lovers of the disciplines of ancient cosmography.

The book describes the intriguing journey that germinated in antiquity and progressively improved the understanding of similar and sister sciences such as cartography, navigation, astronomy and geodesy, all essential ingredients of cosmography. This comprehensive summary meticulously explores numerous important breakthroughs that, undoubtedly, not only materialized in the astonishing discovery of a hitherto unknown continent, but also culminated in the pronouncement of a revolutionary, albeit controversial, heliocentric planetary system. We refer to the intelligent and innovative Copernican solution. Necessarily, it also entertains by exposing another breakthrough in the annals of the physical-mathematical sciences: the exciting confrontation between illustrious experts in theory and practice, concerned with discerning the ideal geometrical model of the shape and dimensions of the Earth.

The book is well illustrated with an abundant number of engravings and images (288) which, in most cases, were taken directly from the original versions of the documents consulted and are reproduced here for the first time. There are many curiosities and explanatory drawings scattered throughout the chapters that provide simple didactic information and clarify some fundamental concepts of spherical astronomy, there are very few mathematical equations.

Referencias bibliográficas

Ruiz Morales, M. (2021). Curiosidades Cosmográficas. Centro Nacional de Información Geográfica.

Received: June 12, 2023; Revised: July 10, 2023; Accepted: August 08, 2023

^*Author for the correspondence:[e-mail]