author
Arthur Berry
1862–1929
A Cambridge mathematician with a gift for explaining big ideas clearly, he is best remembered for making the history of astronomy accessible to general readers. His work helped introduce generations of readers to how people have understood the heavens across time.
1 Audiobook
A Short History of Astronomy
by Arthur Berry
About the author
Born in 1862, Arthur Berry was an English mathematician and lecturer associated with King's College, Cambridge. He was a Senior Wrangler in the Mathematical Tripos of 1885, later became a Fellow of King's, and built his career in mathematics while also writing on astronomy for a wider audience.
He is best known today for A Short History of Astronomy (1898), a book that traces the development of astronomical thought from the ancient world to the modern era. The book's lasting reputation comes from the way it presents a complex subject in a readable, organized form for non-specialist readers.
Berry died in Cambridge in 1929. Although he was a mathematician by training, his name has remained especially connected with the history of astronomy because of that widely read and often reprinted book.