The Scientific Works of Robert Grosseteste, Volume 1: Knowing and Speaking: Robert Grosseteste's De artibus liberalibus 'On the Liberal Arts' and De generatione sonorum 'On the Generation of Sounds'

Few figures of the Middle Ages command the attention of so many modern disciplines as Robert Grosseteste (c. 1170-1253). Theology, Philosophy, History, and Science are all areas which his life and thought continue to have significance and to inspire re-interpretation. Accompanied by a series of original commentaries, this new edition of Grosseteste's work, with English translation, draws together the perspectives of modern scientists and medieval specialists. Volume I of a six volume series, Knowing and Speaking presents two of the earliest of Grosseteste's works, the treatises On the Liberal Arts and On the Generation of Sounds. These are accompanied by a significant Middle English treatise on the Seven Liberal Arts whose anonymous fifteenth-century author translated and excerpted passages from Grosseteste's treatises in a re-imagining of their structure and function.

Each work is treated separately within the volume, which is constructed in three parts. On the Liberal Arts sets Grosseteste's thoughts on the arts subjects and emphasises moral concerns about the purpose of learning. On the Generation of Sounds builds on the theories and statements of On the Liberal Arts in connection to the production of sound, elaborating the earlier position, relating the generation of sounds to human vocal and speech production.

Giles E. M. Gasper, Professor of High Medieval History, Durham University,Cecilia Panti, Associate Professor in History of Medieval Philosophy, University of Rome,Tom McLeish, Professor of Natural Philosophy, University of York,Hannah E. Smithson, Associate Professor, University of Oxford

Giles E. M. Gasper is Professor of High Medieval History in the Department of History at Durham University.

Cecilia Panti is Associate Professor in History of Medieval Philosophy in the Department of Literature, Philosophy, and the History of Art at the University of Rome.

Tom McLeish FRS is Professor of Natural Philosophy in the Department of Physics at the Centre for Medieval Studies and Humanities Research Centre at the University of York.


Hannah E. Smithson is Associate Professor in the Department of Experimental Psychology and Tutorial Fellow at Pembroke College, University of Oxford.