These Personal Recollections contain the memoirs and a selection of the correspondence of the nineteenth-century polymath Mary Somerville (1780–1872). The book was first published in 1873, a year after Mary's death, by her daughter Martha, who wrote brief introductions to the text. Mary Somerville is best known for her pioneering scientific publications which include her translation of Laplace's Mécanique Céleste (1831: also resissued in this series); On the Connection of the Physical Sciences (1834); Physical Geography (1848); and On Molecular and Microscopic Science (1869). Through these publications, Somerville made a lasting contribution to the dissemination of scientific knowledge. Somerville's correspondence deals primarily with her public life, while the memoirs offer insight into her private sphere: the discouragement she faced in pursuit of learning; her passion for women's education and suffrage; family life; and personal faith. Her story is compelling, and her experiences ma
The philosopher and critic George Henry Lewes (1817–78) published this work in two volumes in 1845–6. This is a reissue of an 1892 printing, which brought the volumes into one book. Lewes wrote widely on literature, science and philosophy, and was also the long-term intimate companion of George Eliot. This book is a narrative history, rather than an encyclopedia, of key philosophers. It is, therefore, a partial and personal study instead of an exhaustive textbook. The first volume concentrates solely on Greek philosophy, beginning with the Pre-Socratics and ending with the Neo-Platonists. The second volume jumps to Francis Bacon, concentrating on British, German and French philosophy, and addressing, among others, Spinoza, Locke, Hume and Kant, and ending with Auguste Comte. Containing both historical anecdotes and pithy analyses of ideas, this book reflects the expertise and intellectual sympathies of a Victorian polymath.
This examination of the connection between the belief in miracles and religious practices in ancient times was originally written by French politician and polymath Anne-Joseph-Eusèbe Baconnière de Salverte (1771–1839) and published in 1829. In 1846, it was translated into English by a Scottish physician and writer, Anthony Todd Thomson (1778–1849), and published in two volumes. Thomson explains that Salverte's work was an important study of miracles and the power of priests, and he had 'performed a beneficial service in throwing open the gates of ancient sanctuaries'. However, Thomson also states that he differed from Salverte over the idea of the miraculous, and that he had expunged or heavily edited any passages relating to Christianity, even changing 'miracles' in the original subtitle to 'apparent miracles'. Volume 1 begins with a consideration of human credulity before discussing magic in the ancient world, and offering explanations for supernatural phenomena.
This examination of the connection between the belief in miracles and religious practices in ancient times was originally written by French politician and polymath Anne-Joseph-Eusèbe Baconnière de Salverte (1771–1839) and published in 1829. In 1846, it was translated into English by a Scottish physician and writer, Anthony Todd Thomson (1778–1849), and published in two volumes. Thomson explains that Salverte's work was an important study of miracles and the power of priests, and he had 'performed a beneficial service in throwing open the gates of ancient sanctuaries'. However, Thomson also states that he differed from Salverte over the idea of the miraculous, and that he had expunged or heavily edited any passages relating to Christianity, even changing 'miracles' in the original subtitle to 'apparent miracles'. Volume 2 discusses the role of drugs and poison in magic, as well as the influence of weather on miraculous events.
Written by folklorist Andrew Lang (1844–1912), this 1894 publication examines the ambivalent relationship the living have attempted to forge with the dead throughout history. Nicknamed 'the Wizard of St Andrews', this prolific polymath also worked as an anthropologist, classicist, historian, poet, mythologist, essayist and journalist, producing over a hundred publications in his lifetime. Largely ignored by scholarship, this book suggests expanding the study of folklore to include contemporary narratives of supernatural events. Taking its title from the legends of the notorious Cock Lane ghost, the work considers the survival of ancient beliefs such as hauntings, clairvoyance, and other phenomena believed to transcend the laws of nature, and how such beliefs have persisted through great social upheaval and change. It includes chapters on savage and ancient spiritualism, comparative psychical research, haunted houses, second sight, crystal gazing, and Presbyterian ghost hunters, among o
Joseph Priestley (1733–1804) was an eighteenth-century English polymath with accomplishments in the fields of science, pedagogy, philosophy and theology. Among his more notable achievements were the discovery of oxygen and his work in establishing Unitarianism. Often a controversialist, Priestley's efforts to develop a 'rational' Christianity and support for the French Revolution eventually made him unwelcome in his native land. His 1807 Memoirs relate the story of his life until the time of his 1794 emigration to America and include other biographical materials written by his son. This first volume also contains five appendices discussing his philosophy, scientific work and religious opinions. Priestley's memoirs are an important source for anyone interested in the state of epistemology, rationalism, and religious belief in the age of the Enlightenment, and in a man who, in the words of his son, 'gave unremitting exertions in the cause of truth'.
Joseph Priestley (1733–1804) was an eighteenth-century English polymath with accomplishments in the fields of science, pedagogy, philosophy, and theology. Among his more notable achievements were the discovery of oxygen and his work in establishing Unitarianism. Often a controversialist, Priestley's efforts to develop a 'rational' Christianity and support for the French Revolution eventually made him unwelcome in his native land. His 1807 Memoirs relate the story of his life until the time of his 1794 emigration to America and include other biographical materials written by his son. This second volume contains a lengthy discussion of Priestley's theological writings as well as four of his sermons. Priestley's memoirs are an important source for anyone interested in the state of epistemology, rationalism, and religious belief in the age of the Enlightenment, and in a man who, in the words of his son, 'gave unremitting exertions in the cause of truth'.
What would it have looked like, Leibniz’s Warehouse? What kinds of objects would the polymath have stored in a chamber of curiosities of his own? The artists Renate Heyne and Floris Neusüss play with
The first collection of Leibniz’s key writings on the binary system, newly translated, with many previously unpublished in any language.The polymath Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716) is known for his independent invention of the calculus in 1675. Another major―although less studied―mathematical contribution by Leibniz is his invention of binary arithmetic, the representational basis for today’s digital computing. This book offers the first collection of Leibniz’s most important writings on the binary system, all newly translated by the authors with many previously unpublished in any language. Taken together, these thirty-two texts tell the story of binary as Leibniz conceived it, from his first youthful writings on the subject to the mature development and publication of the binary system. As befits a scholarly edition, Strickland and Lewis have not only returned to Leibniz’s original manuscripts in preparing their translations, but also provided full critical apparatus. In additio
A study of the life and work of Herkomer, the Victorian self-made polymath whose enthusiasm led him to take an interest not only in painting but also in photography, film-making, stagecraft, and motor
Widely considered the father of German literature, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a polymath whose life and thoughts made a huge impact on European philosophy, science, and literature. This scrupulous
"Ernest Gellner (1925-95) was a multilingual polymath and a public intellectual who set the agenda in the study of nationalism and the sociology of Islam. Having grown up in Paris, Prague, and England
Sir Christopher Wren (1632–1723) is now mostly remembered as a genius of architecture – but he was also an accomplished polymath, who only came to architecture quite late in life. Most famous as the m
A captivating novel about the brilliant scientist and polymath Alexandre Yersin, combining fact, fiction, science, art, and philosophy, this book was a French publishing sensation, shortlisted for e
Klein-Braslavy (emerita, Jewish philosophy, Tel Aviv U.) characterizes Levi ben Gershom (Provence, 1288-1344) as perhaps the most prolific polymath of all medieval Jewish philosophers. He was unique,
The new edition's final installment for 2018 includes articles on Arabic polymath 'Abd al-latif al Baghdadi (227-629/1162-1231), the Ottoman Army (1111-1341/1700-1923), eminent Maronite Lebanese a
Weeks (German, Illinois State U.) has done an impressive job of translating and introducing five lengthy works by the 16th-century Swiss polymath. The lengthy introduction describes the life and thoug
The Swiss physician and polymath Conrad Gessner (1516-1565) was one of the most prominent scientists of the early modern period and wrote numerous important works. During the last two decades were dis
Marcus Terentius Varro (116-27 BC) was the greatest polymath of the Roman republic. During his lifetime he authored several hundred books, and though many of them dealt with linguistic topics, the De
Sir Charles Bell (1774-1842), the Scottish anatomist-surgeon, was a true polymath. His original ideas on the nervous system have been likened to those of William Harvey on the circulation of blood, an
