Scientific Instruments, 1500-1900: An Introduction

Turner, Prof. Gerard L'Estrange

ISBN 10: 0520217284 / ISBN 13: 9780520217287

Published by University of California Press, 1998

About this Item

Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. A copy that has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Seller Inventory # rev2518929169

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Scientific Instruments, 1500-1900: An Introduction
• Publisher: University of California Press
• Publication Date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0520217284
• ISBN 13: 9780520217287
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Very Good
• Weight: 671.3 grams

About this title

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 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.