Science and the Secrets of Nature: Books of Secrets in Medieval and Early Modern Culture
- ISBN-10
- 0691214611
- ISBN-13
- 9780691214610
- Category
- Science
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2020-07-07
- Publisher
- Princeton University Press
- Author
- William Eamon
Description
By explaining how to sire multicolored horses, produce nuts without shells, and create an egg the size of a human head, Giambattista Della Porta's Natural Magic (1559) conveys a fascination with tricks and illusions that makes it a work difficult for historians of science to take seriously. Yet, according to William Eamon, it is in the "how-to" books written by medieval alchemists, magicians, and artisans that modern science has its roots. These compilations of recipes on everything from parlor tricks through medical remedies to wool-dyeing fascinated medieval intellectuals because they promised access to esoteric "secrets of nature." In closely examining this rich but little-known source of literature, Eamon reveals that printing technology and popular culture had as great, if not stronger, an impact on early modern science as did the traditional academic disciplines.
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Other editions
-
- 1996-06-02
- 490 pages
- Paperback
- Princeton University Press
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