A rare first edition of Galileo Galilei's 1605 publication *Dialogo de Cecco di Ronchitti da Bruzene in perpuosito de la stella Nuova* sold for £1.1 million ($1.5 million) at Christie's London's Valuable Books and Manuscripts sale on July 9, roughly double its presale estimate. The work, Galileo's first publication, has not appeared on the market in over a century, and only seven other complete copies are known, all held by institutions such as the Berlin State Library and All Souls College at Oxford University.
This sale matters because it sets a new auction record for Galileo and underscores the enduring market value of landmark scientific works. The text, written under a pseudonym to avoid persecution, marks Galileo's bold entry into public scientific debate, challenging Aristotelian and Church doctrines through an accessible dialogue format. Its rarity—with no other copies in private hands—and its historical significance as a precursor to Galileo's later revolutionary ideas make it a trophy for collectors and institutions alike.