Abstract: 

Arthur Koestler and Owen Gingrich have presented opposing views on whether the book De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium has been “read” or “unread”. The author discusses their arguments and finds that they have reached different conclusions in relation to different readers. On this basis, the author discusses the circulation of De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium and the dissemination of the heliocentric theory at different levels in the 16th century. The book was innovative and complex and cannot be compared in terms of the sales with other contemporary astronomical works. The spread of De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium was different from the spread of Copernican heliocentrism. The heliocentrism in the 16th century was spread in different ways by different people.

Key Words: 

Copernicus; De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium; The dissemination of heliocentrism in 16th century