Georg Joachim Rheticus' book to auction for up to $2.3m

The first book proposing that the Earth revolves around the sun, written by Georg Joachim Rheticus, is to sell at Christie's.

Rheticus sun book
Rheticus was Nicolaus Copernicus' protege

Rheticus, a student of Nicolaus Copernicus, wrote De Libris Revolutionum Eruditissimi Viridoctoris in 1540.

It's essentially an abridged introduction to Copernicus' theories of heliocentrism.

The publication of the work emboldened Copernicus to print his seminal De revolutionibus orbium coelestium in 1543.

The book is expected to make £1.2m-1.8m ($1.5m-2.3m) in Christie's sale of the Giancarlo Beltrame Library of Scientific Books on July 13 in London.

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