Observing the World through Images: Diagrams and Figures in the Early-Modern Arts and Sciences

Book info: Observing the World through Images: Diagrams and Figures in the Early-Modern Arts and Sciences (Hardcover, 239 pages) – Brill, 2013. Language: English.

The well-illustrated articles in Observing the World through Images offer insights into the uses of images in astronomy, mathematics, instrument-making, medicine and alchemy, highlighting shared forms as well as those peculiar to individual disciplines. Themes addressed include: the processes of image production and communication; the transformation of images through copying and adaptation for new purposes; genres and traditions of imagery in particular scientific disciplines; the mnemonic and pedagogical value of diagrams; the relationship between text and image; and the roles of diagrams as tools to think with. Contributors include: Isabelle Pantin, Jennifer Rampling, Samuel Gessner, Renee Raphael, Karin Ekholm, Hester Higton, and Katie Taylor. Editorial Reviews About the Author Nicholas Jardine is emeritus professor at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge. His recent publications include La guerre des astronomes, 2 vols, Les Belles Lettres, 2008.
Isla Fay is a research associate on the AHRC-funded project 'Diagrams, Figures and the Transformation of Astronomy, 1450–1650' at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge. She has published on pre-modern health and disease, including an edition of early civic sanitary provisions.