This is the first book to consider all aspects of the life of Agostino Steffani (1654-1728), a composer, diplomat, and bishop. A remarkable figure of the late 17th and early 18th century Europe, Steff
This award-winning historical novel deals with the stormy life of the outstanding Arab philosopher Ibn Khaldun, using historical sources, and particularly material from the writer's works, to construc
With over seventy works to his name, Marcus Terentius Varro (116-24 B.C.) was arguably the greatest scholar of the Roman world. This volume of essays addresses his often neglected output, shedding new
Every human is born with multifarious potential. Why, then, do parents, schools and employers insist that we restrict our many talents and interests; that we 'specialise' in just one? We've been sold
This is a major biography of Dumont d'Urville, an explorer born in 1790 who has been called the Captain Cook of France. The author has uncovered overlooked sources that document his early life and fil
An in-depth study of the life of Sir Hamilton Harty (1879-1941), pianist, composer and conductor of the Halle Orchestra, who arguably made Manchester the most important focus for music in Britain in h
Schrödinger's influence in almost every field of science is still felt. He was a man who single-handedly reshaped thinking in cosmology, wave mechanics, statistical mechanics, unified field theories, theoretical chemistry and molecular biology. In this volume, which was prepared in 1987 to celebrate the centenary of Schrödinger's birth, leading figures in all these fields have collaborated to produce this carefully integrated and edited survey of the man and his science. Some of the contributions are biographical in nature, revealing much about the character of the man. Others deal with modern-day theories in different fields of science in which Schrödinger worked and his influence in those areas.
Exploring the Kingdom of Saturn assesses a pioneering study of ancient Latium by one of the most interesting figures in the history of learning, the Jesuit polymath Athanasius Kircher. Although Kirche
Articles by philosopher and polymath intellectual Motzkin (1934-2006) were often published in obscure academic periodicals, says Halper (liberal arts, Tulane U., New Orleans), though they are accessib
Herbert of Bosham (c.1120-c.1194) was one of the most brilliant, original and versatile thinkers of the twelfth century. Herbert was Thomas Becket's closest confidant, a theologian, biblical commentat
Bempechat (Center for European Studies, Harvard U.) provides the first critical biography of French scientist, inventor, philosopher, and composer Jean Cras (1879-1932). He contends that Cras, who was
Leon Battista Alberti was an outstanding polymath of the fifteenth century, alongside Piero della Francesca and before Leonardo da Vinci. While his contributions to architecture and the visual arts ar
