Antiquarian science books  

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Antiquarian science books are original works (e.g., books or technical papers) that are at least roughly 100 years old, concerning science, mathematics and sometimes engineering. They can provide valuable insights into the historical development of the various fields of scientific inquiry.

A number of advantages arise from using antiquarian science books to understand this historical development, including: avoiding problematic bias that is often introduced for/against recent works whose historical impact has yet to be accurately determined; and understanding the "ebb and flow" of scientific advancement, the evolution of various fields, and the growing diversity of scientific inquiry.

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Coverage

Before Johannes Gutenberg invented the mechanical printing press with movable type (c1439), copies of the great ancient<ref>Dover @ Ancient Science Through the Golden Age of Greece (G. Sarton); Greek Science in Antiquity (M. Clagett).</ref><ref>Greek mathematics.</ref><ref>Library of Alexandria.</ref> and medieval<ref>Science in Medieval Western Europe.</ref> European scientific works (Pythagoras, Hippocrates, Eudoxus, Euclid, Apollonius, Eratosthenes, Aristotle, Archimedes, Hipparchus, Aristarchus, Galen, Diophantus, Dioscorides, Pliny, Menelaus, Ptolemy, Pappus, Vitruvius, Albertus Magnus, Fibonacci, Roger Bacon, Leonardo da Vinci, ...) were extremely rare, so most of the extant works date from the 16th century or later, which also corresponds to the advent of the Scientific Revolution. Many of the authors are considered to be fathers of scientific fields, geniuses and/or polymaths.

From the Renaissance onward, European scientists dominated<ref>Human Accomplishment.</ref> nearly all fields of science<ref>List of Nobel Laureates by country.</ref> and mathematics<ref>Fields Medal.</ref><ref>Abel Prize.</ref><ref>Wolf Prize in Mathematics.</ref> (although that trend may change in the future), so nearly all of the works shown below are European, most frequently from Britain, Germany and France with minimal contributions from geographically peripheral countries including Spain/Portugal, Finland/Baltic States, and the Balkan States. Similarly, technology and engineering are best documented, and most advanced, in Europe<ref>Gies, F. and J. Gies. Cathedral, Forge, and Waterwheel. Harper Collins, 1994.</ref><ref>Dover @ Engineering and Technology, 1650-1750 (M. Jensen); A Short History of Technology: From the Earliest Times to A.D. 1900 (T.K. Derry & T.I. Williams); Engineering in History (R.S. Kirby).</ref> during this period.

Works by medieval Islamic<ref>Islamic mathematics.</ref><ref>Hourani, A. A History of the Arab Peoples. Belknap, pp75-79, 1991.</ref><ref>Science in medieval Islam.</ref><ref>Timeline of Islamic science and engineering.</ref> scholars (Alhazen, Al-Khawarizmi, Abu Kamil, Al-Sufi, Geber, al-Dinawari, Avicenna, Averroes, Abu Rayhan Biruni, Hunayn ibn Ishaq, al-Kindi, al-Farabi, Abu Bakr al-Razi, al-Jazari, Ibn al-Nafis, Ibn Khaldun, al-Khazini, Omar Khayyam, ...) are also extremely rare, similar to works by ancient/medieval Chinese<ref>Chinese mathematics.</ref><ref>Needham, J. Science and Civilization in China. 1956 - present.</ref><ref>Yoke, H.P. Li, Qi and Shu: An Introduction to Science and Civilization in China. Dover.</ref><ref>History of science and technology in China.</ref> scholars (Chu Shih-chieh, Shen Kuo, Liu Hui, Zhang Heng, ...) and ancient/medieval Indian<ref>Indian mathematics.</ref><ref>History of Indian science and technology.</ref> scholars (Aryabhata, Brahmagupta, Bhaskara, Madhava, ...). Ancient texts from other regions<ref>Dover @ The Exact Sciences in Antiquity (O. Neugebauer); The Historical Roots of Elementary Mathematics (L.N.H. Bunt & P.S. Jones & J.D. Bedient).</ref> (notably Egypt<ref>Gillings, R.J. Mathematics in the Time of the Pharaohs. Dover.</ref><ref>Rhind Mathematical Papyrus.</ref><ref>Moscow Mathematical Papyrus.</ref><ref>Egyptian mathematics.</ref> and Babylonia<ref>Babylonian mathematics.</ref><ref>Plimpton 322.</ref>) are even more rare.

Image:Vesalius Fabrica p184.jpg
Vesalius, Fabrica, 1500s.

The landmark<ref>Bruno, L.C. Landmarks of Science from the Collections of the Library of Congress. 1989.</ref> works included below, most of which are European, are significant first (or early) editions typically worth<ref>International League of Antiquarian Booksellers @ http://www.ilab.org/services/searchform.php</ref><ref>http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchEntry</ref><ref>Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America @ http://search.abaa.org/dbp2/searchform.php</ref><ref>http://www.sothebys.com</ref><ref>http://www.christies.com</ref> hundreds or thousands of dollars (prices may vary widely based on condition, etc.). Reprints of these books are often available, for example from Great Books of the Western World, Dover Publications<ref>http://store.doverpublications.com/by-subject-science-and-mathematics.html</ref> or Google Books, and general biographies<ref>Glenn, J. Scientific Genius: The Twenty Greatest Minds. Crescent Books, New York, 1996.</ref><ref>Simmons, J. The Scientific 100. Citadel Press, 1996.</ref><ref>Britannica. The 100 Most Influential Scientists. Running Press, 2008.</ref><ref>Hawking, S. God Created the Integers. Running Press, 2007.</ref> and histories<ref>Gribbin, J. A Brief History of Science. Barnes & Noble, New York, 1998.</ref><ref>Whitfield, P. Landmarks in Western Science: From Prehistory to the Atomic Age. Routledge, 1999.</ref><ref>Boyer, C.B. A History of Mathematics. 2ed, Wiley, 1991.</ref><ref>Dover @ Makers of Mathematics (S. Hollingdale); A Concise History of Mathematics (D.J. Struik); The Development of Mathematics (E.T. Bell).</ref> are also widely available.

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1500s

Image:Principia Page 1726.jpg
Newton, Principia, 1600s.
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1600s

Image:Systema Naturae cover.jpg
Linnaeus, Systema Naturae, 1700s.
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1700s

Image:Lyell Principles frontispiece.jpg
Lyell, Principles of Geology, 1800s.
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1800s

Image:Principia Mathematica theorem 54-43.png
Whitehead and Russell, Principia Mathematica, 1900s.
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1900s (Pre-WWII)

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See also


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