The Advancement of Learning: A Reproduction of the Copy in the British Library Owned by Charles I Oxford 1640

This seminal philosophical treatise, originally penned in 1605 and considered the first major philosophical work written in English, also offers the first description of science as a tool to improve the human condition. This breakthrough work of the English Renaissance hailed new times and new possibilities for the human species. Bacon catalogues the current state of learning, the obstacles to its progress, and his own plans for its revitalisation. This facsimile makes available a work that has significantly defined the modern era. The Advancement of Learning was the personal property of Charles I and contains the King's own additions to many of bacon's bried pithy sayings. The initialled'Dum spiro spero' in this book is considered to be a forgery

While he didn't exactly invent science, Francis Bacon is its best-known early promoter. The Advancement of Learning is his 1605 argument in favor of natural philosophy and inductive reasoning, and it is still vigorous and cogent today. Though using the language of Shakespeare, the book remains largely accessible to modern readers--still, a bit of classical knowledge is helpful. Shaking off the centuries-old domination of Aristotle, Bacon advocated building scientific theories on facts and observations rather than pure reason; little has changed in our approach to understanding the world since then. Of greatest interest to historians and philosophers of science, the book will also appeal to those curious about the underpinnings of today's naturalistic thinking. --Rob Lightner