Archives of the Scientific Revolution: The Formation and Exchange of Ideas in Seventeenth-Century Europe

Hunter, Michael [Editor]; Demeulenaere-Douyere, Christiane [Contributor]; Meli, Domenico Bertoloni [Contributor]; Harris, Frances [Contributor]; O'Hara, James G. [Contributor]; Yoder, Joella G. [Contributor]; Greengrass, Mark [Contributor]; Bucciantini, Massimo [Contributor]; Hunter, Michael [Contributor]; Feingold, Mordechai [Contributor]; Hatch, Robert A. [Contributor]; Iliffe, Robert C [Contributor];

ISBN 10: 0851155537 / ISBN 13: 9780851155531

Published by Boydell Press, 1998

About this Item

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Bibliographic Details

• Title: Archives of the Scientific Revolution: The Formation and Exchange of Ideas in Seventeenth-Century Europe
• Publisher: Boydell Press
• Publication Date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0851155537
• ISBN 13: 9780851155531
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Good

About this title

Synopsis

The seventeenth century in Western Europe remains the key time and place for the development of modern science; the basic theme of this book is what the nature of seventeenth-century archives can tell us about this development, through a series of case studies (Boyle, Galileo, Huygens, Newton included).

Manuscript collections created by the individuals and institutions who were responsible for the scientific revolution offer valuable evidence of the intellectual aspirations and working practices of the principal protagonists. This volume is the first to explore such archives, focusing on the ways in which ideas were formulated, stored and disseminated, and opening up understanding of the process of intellectual change. It analyses the characteristics and history of the archives of such leading intellectuals as Robert Boyle, Galileo Galilei, G.W. Leibniz, Isaac Newton and William Petty; also considered are the new scientific institutions founded at the time, the Royal Society and the Académie des Sciences. In each case, significant broader findings emerge concerning the nature and role of such holdings; an introductory essay discusses the interpretation and exploitation of archives.

MICHAEL HUNTER is Professor of History at Birkbeck College, University of London. Contributors: MICHAEL HUNTER, MASSIMO BUCCIANTINI, MARK GREENGRASS, ROBERT A. HATCH, FRANCES HARRIS, JOELLA YODER, DOMENICO BERTOLONI MELI, ROB ILIFFE, JAMES G. O'HARA, MORDECHAI FEINGOLD, CHRISTIANE DEMEULENAERE-DOUYRE, DAVID STURDY

Review

Excellently illuminates the history of seventeenth-century scientific archives and the problems they present. JOURNAL OF DOCUMENTATIONThe reader is left with a profound sense of the fragility of archives, their great power for both revelation and concealment, their complexity, and their individuality. This book is an important contribution for allhistorians. ANNALS OF SCIENCE