Scientific Instruments, 1500–1900: An Introduction - Hardcover

Turner, Gerard L'E

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0520217284 ISBN 13: 9780520217287

Publisher: University of California Press, 1998

Synopsis

The impulse to collect is an almost universal one, satisfying the hunting and acquisitive instincts, the love of beauty, and intellectual curiosity. The wealthy have collected rare and beautiful things from the earliest days of civilization, but the collection, or "cabinet," containing natural curiosities dates from the sixteenth century, and it was this type of collection in which scientific instruments found a home. In the twentieth century, we have come to accept a vast range of technical, often complex, equipment for everyday use. Science has become the very substance of our life style. But the appeal of historic scientific instruments remains, and from them much can be learned of the practice and development of science over four centuries.

This book traces the historical origins and development of instruments as they spread across the globe, explaining their manufacture, use, and adaptations. This must-have book for the active collector gives practical advice on dealing with instruments and checking their authenticity. It features a comprehensive international list of major museums and instrument collections. Over 100 superb illustrations show the instruments to their full advantage.

About this title

About the Author

Gerard L'E Turner is Professor of Imperial College at University of London. He has spent 36 years studying the history of scientific instruments and has published eleven books and many papers on the subject. He is President of the Scientific Instrument Society, and a Corresponding Member of the Académie internationale d'Histoire des Sciences.

From the Back Cover

"This is a magisterial yet compact survey of the entire field of scientific instruments, the best such treatment that I know." (Bruce Stephenson, Adler Planetarium)

From the Inside Flap

"This is a magisterial yet compact survey of the entire field of scientific instruments, the best such treatment that I know."—Bruce Stephenson, Adler Planetarium

"This book provides a very useful and informative overview of the history of scientific instruments. Turner is recognized as one of the founders of this specialized area of historical research."—William Andrews, Curator of the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments, Harvard University

Edition details

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0520217284
• ISBN 13: 9780520217287
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 128