Gianna Pomata and Nancy G. Siraisi, eds. Historia: Empiricism and Erudition in Early Modern Europe. Transformations: Studies in the History of Science and Technology. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2005. x + 490 pp. index. illus. bibl. $50. ISBN: 0-262-16229-6.

2006 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 597-599
Author(s):  
Stefano Perfetti
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
History Of Science ◽  
Science And Technology ◽  
Early Modern Europe ◽  
History Of ◽  
Modern Europe

scholarly journals Learning by the book: manuals and handbooks in the history of science

BJHS Themes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Angela N.H. Creager ◽  
Mathias Grote ◽  
Elaine Leong
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
History Of Science ◽  
Book History ◽  
Practical Knowledge ◽  
Ancient Greece ◽  
Early Modern Europe ◽  
Medieval China ◽  
History Of ◽  
Modern Europe

AbstractThis essay offers an overview of how manuals and handbooks have contributed to the standardization, codification, transmission and revision of knowledge. These instructional and reference texts are distinct from related educational genres such as textbooks and editions due to their focus on practical knowledge. They are also notable for their appearance in diverse times and places, such as ancient Greece, early and medieval China and early modern Europe, as well as modern contexts worldwide. We are especially interested in the role of these often mundane texts in maintaining and resituating old knowledge, whose importance is discounted when scholars focus on innovation. Modern notions of authorship fit poorly with handbooks and manuals, which are generally derivative of other literature, though they often result in more commercially successful texts than their sources. This introduction draws on book history as well as history of science to offer a framework for the volume.

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