ISBN: 9780691026022

The idea of delving into the hidden things of nature and harnessing - or even altering - its processes smacked, in centuries past, more of magic than of science. He notes that the empiric… Plus…

The idea of delving into the hidden things of nature and harnessing - or even altering - its processes smacked, in centuries past, more of magic than of science. He notes that the empirical approach was not regarded as "science" because, rather than being purely theoretical, it dealt with the unpredictable and the "irrational.". The Nile on eBay   FREE SHIPPING UK WIDE   Science and the Secrets of Nature by William Eamon By explaining how to sire multicolored horses, produce nuts without shells, and create an egg the size of a human head, this title conveys a fascination with tricks and illusions that makes it a work difficult for historians of science to take seriously. FORMATPaperback LANGUAGEEnglish CONDITIONBrand New Publisher 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. Back Cover "Zelizer has a genius for detecting hidden order in everyday practices.... Gently but firmly she uses her discoveries to overturn widespread beliefs in the power of money to corrupt, standardize, and depersonalize social ties. Best of all, she writes of these complex matters with grace, lucidity, wit, and humanity."--Charles Tilly, Columbia University Author Biography William Eamon is Professor of History at New Mexico State University. Table of Contents List of Illustrations and TablesAcknowledgmentsNotes on Conventions and UsageIntroduction: Printing, Popular Culture, and the Scientific Revolution3Pt. 1The Literature of Secrets131The Literature of Secrets in the Middle Ages152Knowledge and Power38Pt. 2The Secrets of Nature in the Age of Printing913Arcana Disclosed934The Professors of Secrets and Their Books1345Leonardo Fioravanti, Vendor of Secrets1686Natural Magic and the Secrets of Nature1947The Secrets of Nature in Popular Culture234Pt. 3The "New Philosophy"2678Science as a Venatio2699The Virtuosi and the Secrets of Nature30110From the Secrets of Nature to Public Knowledge319Conclusion351Appendix: Secreti Italiani: Italian Booklets of Secrets, ca. 1520-1643361Abbreviations367Notes369Bibliography431Index481 Review Winner of the 1994 Award for Best Professional/Scholarly Book in History, Association of American Publishers "Eamon gives a rich and lively account of authors and writings that were always unacademic, unscrupulous, unprofessional, turbulent, and unsettled: that is to say, an account of the popular or seamy side of medicine and natural knowledge in medieval and early modern times... A book of many unusual topics... Eamon is very learned and writes eloquently."--A. Rupert Hall, Nature "Eamon ... provide[s] plenty of material for thought in this multifaceted volume."--Charles Burnett, The New York Times Book Review "Unusually well crafted... Eamon has many valuable things to say about science as a sacrament."--John North, The Times Literary Supplement Kirkus US Review A scholarly survey of how the concept of "secret" assisted the development of experimental science from ancient times until the 17th century. The idea of delving into the hidden things of nature and harnessing - or even altering - its processes smacked, in centuries past, more of magic than of science. Eamon (History/New Mexico State Univ.) opens with a nuanced view of the medieval tradition of secrets, its Hellenistic origins, and its Islamic and Scholastic forms. He notes that the empirical approach was not regarded as "science" because, rather than being purely theoretical, it dealt with the unpredictable and the "irrational." Eamon looks at attitudes toward science of, among others, St. Augustine, Albert the Great, and Thomas Aquinas. Eamon is much influenced by Elizabeth Eisenstein's work on the role of printing in exposing classical scientific ideas to scrutiny. He relates how craft knowledge, traditionally kept secret, was divulged by means of vernacular technical textbooks, which contained "recipes" and resembled modern how-to books. In 16th-century Italy, "professors of secrets" arose who traveled and published practical and "alternative" medical advice based on herbs and potions. We encounter colorful characters: Leonardo Fioravanti, a surgeon who, without antisepsis or anesthesia, took out a woman's spleen, "though up to that time I had never taken out anything"; the great magus Giambattista Della Porta, who employed occult practices in a purely empirical manner, i.e., without the incantations. In the final section of his book, Eamon describes how this dissemination of knowledge led to the beginnings of the modern empirical attitude, which, he suggests, appealed more to the bourgeois values of the time than did the holistic theoretical concerns of earlier centuries. A feast of detailed scholarship, anecdote, and reflections - touching on a crucial but neglected theme in the development of the western intellectual tradition. (Kirkus Reviews) Prizes Winner of AAP/Professional and Scholarly Publishing Awards: History 1994 Long 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. Review Quote Winner of the 1994 Award for Best Professional/Scholarly Book in History, Association of American Publishers Details ISBN0691026025 Author William Eamon Short Title SCIENCE & THE SECRETS OF NATUR Publisher Princeton University Press Language English ISBN-10 0691026025 ISBN-13 9780691026022 Media Book Format Paperback DEWEY 509 Year 1996 Imprint Princeton University Press Subtitle Books of Secrets in Medieval and Early Modern Culture Place of Publication New Jersey Country of Publication United States Pages 512 Edition Description Revised Translated from English DOI 10.1604/9780691026022 UK Release Date 1996-06-02 AU Release Date 1996-06-02 NZ Release Date 1996-06-02 US Release Date 1996-06-02 Publication Date 1996-06-02 Alternative 9780691034027 Illustrations 12 halftones. 3 tables Audience Professional & Vocational We've got thisAt The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it.With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! 30 DAY RETURN POLICYNo questions asked, 30 day returns! FREE DELIVERYNo matter where you are in the UK, delivery is free. SECURE PAYMENTPeace of mind by paying through PayPal and eBay Buyer Protection TheNile_Item_ID:123825133; , Neu, Festpreisangebot, [LT: FixedPrice], ISBN-13: 9780691026022, Book Title: Science and the Secrets of Nature, EAN: 9780691026022, Publication Year: 1996, Type: Textbook, Format: Paperback, Language: English, Publication Name: Science and the Secrets of Nature: Books of Secrets in Medieval and Early Modern Culture, Item Height: 235mm, Item Width: 152mm, Subject: Science, Item Weight: 680g, Number of Pages: 512 Pages, Princeton University Press<

ISBN: 9780691026022

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 fascinati… Plus…

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., Neu, Festpreisangebot, [LT: FixedPrice], EAN: 9780691026022, UPC: 9780691026022, Book Title: Science and the Secrets of Nature: Books of Secret, Item Length: 23.3 cm, Publication Year: 1996, Type: Textbook, Format: Paperback, Language: English, Publication Name: Science and the Secrets of Nature: Books of Secrets in Medieval and Early Modern Culture, Item Height: 235mm, Item Width: 152mm, Subject: Science, Item Weight: 680g, Number of Pages: 512 Pages, Princeton University Press<

2002, ISBN: 9780691026022

[ED: Taschenbuch], [PU: Princeton University Press], Neuware - By explaining how to sire multicolored horses, produce nuts without shells, and create an egg the size of a human head, Giam… Plus…

[ED: Taschenbuch], [PU: Princeton University Press], Neuware - 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., DE, [SC: 0.00], Neuware, gewerbliches Angebot, 234x156x28 mm, 510, [GW: 766g], Banküberweisung, PayPal, Skrill/Moneybookers, Selbstabholung und Barzahlung, Offene Rechnung (Vorkasse vorbehalten)<

1996, ISBN: 0691026025

[EAN: 9780691026022], Neubuch, [PU: Princeton University Press], Books