Henry Oldenburg

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Henry Oldenburg (c.1618 - September, 1677) worked as a diplomat and a natural philosopher. Born in Bremen, Germany, he trained in theology and became a tutor before settling in England during the English interregnum. After the Restoration he became an early member of the Royal Society (founded in 1660), and served as its first Secretary, maintaining an extensive network of scientific contacts through Europe. He also became the founding editor of the Philosophical Transactions. Oldenburg began the practice of sending submitted manuscripts to experts who could judge their quality before publicatioin. This was the beginning of both the modern scientific journal and the practice of peer review.[1]

[edit] Further reading

• Marie Boas Hall, Henry Oldenburg; Shaping the Royal Society, Oxford University Press, 2002.
• Jean-Pierre Vittu, "Henry Oldenburg 'Grand intermédiaire'", in "Les grands intermédiaires culturels de la République des Lettres", pub. by Christiane Berkvens-Stevelinck, Hans Bots and Jens Häseler, Paris, Honoré Champion, 2005, pp. 184-209