Incomparable Historian: Essays In Memory Of John L. Heilbron

This book brings together a collection of essays dedicated to the memory of John L. Heilbron (1934–2023), one of the foremost historians of science of his generation. Originally conceived as a Festschrift to mark his 90th birthday, it became a memorial volume following his passing. The contributors — former students, colleagues, and collaborators — reflect the breadth of Heilbron’s scholarship, from the Scientific Revolution to modern physics, from Lamarck and Darwin to contemporary science writing. The essays exemplify his approach to the history of science: technically informed, contextually grounded, and attentive to language and method. Together, these studies trace the enduring influence of Heilbron’s work on the practice of historiography itself. They illustrate how his legacy continues to shape new research agendas, connecting detailed historical inquiry with broader questions about knowledge, culture, and scientific understanding. This volume is both a tribute and a continuation of his intellectual project.

Stefano Gattei graduated at the University of Milan (2003) and holds a PhD from the University of Bristol, UK (2004). He held teaching and research positions in various Italian universities, as well as Oxford University, Columbia University, Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania and the California Institute of Technology. He is now Associate Professor of history and philosophy of science at the University of Trento, Italy. Among his publications are Thomas S. Kuhn’s ‘Linguistic Turn’ and the Legacy of Logical Positivism (Routledge, 2008), Karl Popper’s Philosophy of Science: Rationality without Foundations (Routledge, 2009) and On the Life of Galileo: Vincenzo Viviani’s Historical Account and Other Early Biographies (Princeton University Press, 2019). He co-edited, with Joseph Agassi, the fourth volume of Paul K. Feyerabend’s collected philosophical papers, Physics and Philosophy (Cambridge University Press, 2016) and, with Roberta Corvi, Feyerabend in Dialogue: Critical Essays (Springer, 2024). He also published critical editions and annotated translations of texts by Regiomontanus, Rheticus, Galileo and Thomas Seget; that of Kepler’s Strena seu De nive sexangula is forthcoming.