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Books and the Sciences in History

Books and the Sciences in History

Marina Frasca-Spada, Nick Jardine, Rosamond McKitterick, Jerry Brotton, Anthony Grafton, Ann Blair, Sachiko Kusukawa, Adam Mosley, Lauren Kassell, Silvia De Renzi, William Clark, Richard Yeo, Thomas Broman, Mary Terrall, Emma Spary, Aileen Fyfe, Adrian Johns, Jonathan Topham, Eugenia Roldàn Vera, Lisa Jardine, Alan Stewart, James Secord
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  • Date Published: November 2000
  • availability: Available
  • format: Paperback
  • isbn: 9780521659390

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About the Authors
  • The history of the sciences and the history of the book are complementary, and there has been much recent innovative research in the intersection of these lively fields. This accessibly-written, well-illustrated volume, published in 2000, was the first systematic general work to do justice to the fruits of recent scholarship. The twenty specially-commissioned chapters, by an international cast of distinguished scholars, cover the period from the Carolingian renaissance of learning to the mid nineteenth-century consolidation of science. They examine all aspects of the authorship, production, distribution, and reception of manuscripts, books and journals in the various sciences. An editorial introduction surveys the many profitable interactions of the history of the sciences with the history of books. Two afterwords highlight the relevances of this wide-ranging survey to the study of the development of scientific disciplines and to the predicaments of scientific communication in the electronic age.

    • This is the first comprehensive collection of historical essays on the subject in the rapidly-expanding field of science in relation to the book
    • All the essays are very readable and are nearly all attractively illustrated with a range of unusual subjects
    • Offers a useful introduction to an important interdisciplinary field of study
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    Reviews & endorsements

    'This book is a most welcome addition to the literature on books and the history of science. It contains a wealth of fascinating detail about the composition, production, and distribution of scientific books, their readership, and the complex relationships which existed between the producers and consumers of books… this collection provides an excellent introduction to the subject, firmly establishing the importance of book history for the history of science, and setting the agenda for what should be a promising period of interaction between these complementary historical endeavours.' Metascience

    '… a book no scholar can afford to ignore, above all thanks to its penetrating 'Introduction' and masterly 'Afterwords'. Beautifully produced, copiously illustrated, and made available from the start in paperback … it upholds the excellent traditions established in this field by the Cambridge University Press.' BJHS

    '… beneficial as a source or scholars who need clear, concise introductory material for other projects connected to book publication or the sciences … an extremely valuable and worthwhile work. This book is a must for any research library and would be extremely valuable to scholars interested in the history of printing, publishing, or science. It would also be an excellent textbook for interdisciplinary graduate courses on the nature of books and the history of science.' Envoi

    'To the extent that Books and the Sciences in History shows that the history of the book has implications for the history of changes in disciplinary boundaries, it challenges the received view that the discipline of philosophy has always looked at the same kinds of problems and that the questions that perplex one generation are of interest to them all. Surely this book is a clear statement that intellectual historians of every stripe must look beyond the text to issues of context.' BJHS

    'It is this reviewer's considered opinion that Books and the Sciences in History is a must for anyone contemplating doing history of science, especially that of the early modern age 1500–1800.' Centaurus

    '… timely … builds on distinguished studies in book history … a substantial, innovative and stimulating assessment … wide ranging, challenging and always thoughtful … Books and the Sciences in History is an authoritative, learned, and thoroughly readable analysis that surely marks a milestone in the way we approach our subject.' Medical History

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    Product details

    • Date Published: November 2000
    • format: Paperback
    • isbn: 9780521659390
    • length: 456 pages
    • dimensions: 248 x 176 x 24 mm
    • weight: 0.72kg
    • contains: 89 b/w illus.
    • availability: Available
  • Table of Contents

    Acknowledgments
    Introduction: books and sciences Marina Frasca-Spada and Nick Jardine
    Part I. Triumphs of the Book:
    1. Books and sciences before print Rosamond McKitterick
    2. Printing the world Jerry Brotton
    3. Geniture collections, origins and uses of a genre Anthony Grafton
    4. Annotating and indexing natural philosophy Ann Blair
    5. Illustrating nature Sachiko Kusukawa
    6. Astronomical books and courtly communication Adam Mosley
    7. Reading for the philosophers' stone Lauren Kassell
    8. Writing and talking of exotic animals Silvia De Renzi
    Part II. Learned and Conversable Reading:
    9. Compendious footnotes Marina Frasca-Spada
    10. On the bureaucratic plots of the research library William Clark
    11. Encyclopaedic knowledge Richard Yeo
    12. Periodical literature Thomas Broman
    13. Natural philosophy for fashionable readers Mary Terrall
    14. Rococo readings of the book of nature Emma Spary
    15. Young readers and the sciences Aileen Fyfe
    16. The physiology of reading Adrian Johns
    Part III. Publication in the Age of Science:
    17. A textbook revolution Jonathan Topham
    18. Useful knowledge for export Eugenia Roldàn Vera
    19. Editing a hero of modern science Lisa Jardine and Alan Stewart
    20. Progress in print James Secord
    Afterwords: Books, texts, and the making of knowledge Nick Jardine
    The past, present, and future of the scientific book Adrian Johns
    Notes on contributors.

  • Editors

    Marina Frasca-Spada, University of Cambridge

    Nick Jardine, University of Cambridge

    Contributors

    Marina Frasca-Spada, Nick Jardine, Rosamond McKitterick, Jerry Brotton, Anthony Grafton, Ann Blair, Sachiko Kusukawa, Adam Mosley, Lauren Kassell, Silvia De Renzi, William Clark, Richard Yeo, Thomas Broman, Mary Terrall, Emma Spary, Aileen Fyfe, Adrian Johns, Jonathan Topham, Eugenia Roldàn Vera, Lisa Jardine, Alan Stewart, James Secord

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