David A. King (born 14 November 1941) is a British-American historian and author.

He was the Professor of Near Eastern Languages and Literatures and History of Science at New York University (1979-85) and the director of the Smithsonian Institution project on medieval Islamic astronomy and Director of the Institute for the History of Science in Johann Wolfgang Goethe University.

Biography[edit]

He completed his Ph. D in 1972 at Yale University. He has previously served as a professor and associate professor in the department of Near Eastern Languages and Literatures of New York University. He is currently a Professor of History of Science and Director of the Institute for the History of Science, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main.^[1]

Personal[edit]

King has been married since 1969 to Patricia Cannavaro King and the couple have two sons and one granddaughter. He currently resides between Frankfurt city-center and a small village in Southern France.^[1]

In 2013 King was awarded the Koyré Medal of the Académie internationale d'histoire des sciences for his life's work.

Bibliography[edit]

His significant works include:

• In Synchrony with the Heavens, Studies in Astronomical Timekeeping and Instrumentation in Medieval Islamic Civilization

• Astronomy In The Service Of Islam

• Islamic Mathematical Astronomy

• World Maps For Finding The Direction And Distance To Mecca: Innovation And Tradition In Islamic Science

• A Survey Of The Scientific Manuscripts In The Egyptian National Library

• From Deferent to Equant: A Volume of Studies on the History of Science of the Ancient & Medieval Near East

• The Ciphers Of The Monks: A Forgotten Number Notation Of The Middle Ages

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• [1] “Islamic Astronomy”
• [2] “Al-Khalili and the Culmination of Spherical Astronomy in 14th-Century Damascus”
• [3] Personal website
• [4] Academia.edu site (several publications available to download)