Sela's (biblical studies and philosophy, Bar-Ilan U. and interdisciplinary studies, Tel-Aviv U.) earlier book on the Spaniard Ibn Ezra (1089-1167) was written in Hebrew and focused on his biblical commentary rather than on his science, as is the case here. Even so, he insists that the only way to grasp the essential features of his work is to break down the artificial wall between his scientific and exegetical work and surrender to his encyclopedic and interdisciplinary breadth. He discusses Ibn Ezra's scientific corpus, the creation of a new Hebrew scientific vocabulary, the eight macro-astrological rules, his universe, and four literary encounters he had with Claudius Ptolemy. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)