In conjunction with the Special Collections exhibit “The Art of Nature: Natural History in the 17th Century,” a new small exhibit entitled “Partners in Science” is now in display in the Special Collections reference room. This exhibit was curated by Special Collections intern Rebecca Strein. Stop by and learn about women’s involvement in the sciences …
Special Collections is displaying works by English and Scottish scientists of the seventeenth century in a small exhibit, “The Art of Nature.” The exhibit is held in conjunction with the Margaret Cavendish Society’s Tenth Biennial Conference, which convenes in Provo and at the Sundance Resort this weekend. On display are catalogs of flora and fauna, …
L. Tom Perry Special Collections doesn’t actively acquire books on medicine, but the History of Science Collection does have several hundred books published before 1800 about medicine, surgery, and human anatomy. Many are in Latin, but you’ll find a good number of titles in English or other European languages.While the information in these books is …
September marks the 300th anniversary of the death of Giovanni (Jean) Cassini, the Italian astronomer. Cassini discovered four of Saturn’s moons and was a co-discoverer of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot. He spent the first 20 years of his career at an observatory outside Bologna, Italy, and later became the director of the main astronomical institute …
The History of Printing Collection is especially rich in its holdings of Renaissance-era pamphlets and treatises about comets. The library has recently acquired two German pamphlets dating from 1665, one printed in Ulm and the other in Dresden. The Ulm pamphlet records observations made in October 1664 by astronomer Christoph Schorer, and the Dresden pamphlet, …
Renaissance astronomy is in the news again, this time because a group of Czech and Danish scientists are testing the remains of Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, who died in 1601. Brahe’s astronomical observations provided the foundation for the work of Johannes Kepler and other astronomers, but he is also remembered for the rumors which swirled …
The History of Science Collection at BYU contains manuscript material by several prominent astronomers of the 17th and 18th centuries, including correspondence, treatises, and observations. The largest collection is the Jean-Baptiste Joseph Delambre Collection, VMSS 458. Delambre (1749-1822) was a French astronomer and mathematician who helped develop the metric system and wrote one of the …
A particular strength of BYU’s History of Science Collection is a collection of over 80 European pamphlets and monographs on comets, dating from the early 16th to early 18th centuries. These works were written by theologians, philosophers, and scientists, and as such, approach the subject of comets from conflicting perspectives. For some, the appearance of …
While many facsimiles of medieval and Renaissance manuscripts housed in Special Collections reproduce religious and literary texts, our collection also holds a number of facsimiles of scientific works. The newest addition to Special Collections is a facsimile of the Codex Leicester, a 72-page manuscript by Leonardo da Vinci. In this manuscript, Leonardo recorded his observations …
To commemorate The International Year of Astronomy, Special Collections is once again highlighting books and manuscripts from our History of Science collection. 2009 marks the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s telescope, and we are displaying some key items related to Galileo and the history of astronomy. Galileo’s Dialogue on the Two Chief World Systems and an …