Antiquarian science books

Antiquarian science books are original works (e.g., books or technical papers) that are at least roughly 100 years old, concerning science, mathematics and sometimes engineering. They can provide valuable insights into the historical development of the various fields[1] of scientific inquiry.

A number of advantages arise from using antiquarian science books to understand this historical development, including: avoiding problematic bias that is often introduced for/against recent works whose historical impact has yet to be accurately determined; and understanding the "ebb and flow" of scientific advancement, the evolution of various fields, and the growing diversity of scientific inquiry.

Contents

Coverage

Before Johannes Gutenberg invented the mechanical printing press with movable type (c1439), copies of the great ancient[2][3][4] and medieval[5] European scientific works (Pythagoras, Hippocrates, Eudoxus, Euclid, Apollonius, Eratosthenes, Aristotle, Archimedes, Hipparchus, Aristarchus, Galen, Diophantus, Dioscorides, Pliny, Menelaus, Ptolemy, Pappus, Vitruvius, Albertus Magnus, Fibonacci, Roger Bacon, Leonardo da Vinci, ...) were extremely rare, so most of the extant works date from the 16th century or later, which also corresponds to the advent of the Scientific Revolution. Many of the authors are considered to be fathers of scientific fields, geniuses and/or polymaths.

From the Renaissance onward, European scientists dominated[6] nearly all fields of science[7] and mathematics[8][9][10] (although that trend may change in the future), so nearly all of the works shown below are European, most frequently from Britain, Germany and France with minimal contributions from geographically peripheral countries including Spain/Portugal, Finland/Baltic States, and the Balkan States. Similarly, technology and engineering are best documented, and most advanced, in Europe[11][12] during this period.

Works by medieval Islamic[13][14][15][16] scholars (Alhazen, Al-Khawarizmi, Abu Kamil, Al-Sufi, Geber, al-Dinawari, Avicenna, Averroes, Abu Rayhan Biruni, Hunayn ibn Ishaq, al-Kindi, al-Farabi, Abu Bakr al-Razi, al-Jazari, Ibn al-Nafis, Ibn Khaldun, al-Khazini, Omar Khayyam, ...) are also extremely rare, similar to works by ancient/medieval Chinese[17][18][19][20] scholars (Chu Shih-chieh, Shen Kuo, Liu Hui, Zhang Heng, ...) and ancient/medieval Indian[21][22] scholars (Aryabhata, Brahmagupta, Bhaskara, Madhava, ...). Ancient texts from other regions[23] (notably Egypt[24][25][26][27] and Babylonia[28][29]) are even more rare.

The landmark[30] works included below, most of which are European, are significant first (or early) editions typically worth[31][32][33][34][35] hundreds or thousands of dollars (prices may vary widely based on condition, etc.). Reprints of these books are often available, for example from Great Books of the Western World, Dover Publications[36] or Google Books, and general biographies[37][38][39][40] and histories[41][42][43][44] are also widely available.

16th century

17th century

18th century

19th century

20th century (Pre-World War II)

References

  1. ^ History of science, History of mathematics, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineering#History
  2. ^ Dover @ Ancient Science Through the Golden Age of Greece (G. Sarton); Greek Science in Antiquity (M. Clagett).
  3. ^ Greek mathematics.
  4. ^ Library of Alexandria.
  5. ^ Science in Medieval Western Europe.
  6. ^ Human Accomplishment.
  7. ^ List of Nobel Laureates by country.
  8. ^ Fields Medal.
  9. ^ Abel Prize.
  10. ^ Wolf Prize in Mathematics.
  11. ^ Gies, F. and J. Gies. Cathedral, Forge, and Waterwheel. Harper Collins, 1994.
  12. ^ Dover @ Engineering and Technology, 1650-1750 (M. Jensen); A Short History of Technology: From the Earliest Times to A.D. 1900 (T.K. Derry & T.I. Williams); Engineering in History (R.S. Kirby).
  13. ^ Islamic mathematics.
  14. ^ Hourani, A. A History of the Arab Peoples. Belknap, pp75-79, 1991.
  15. ^ Science in medieval Islam.
  16. ^ Timeline of Islamic science and engineering.
  17. ^ Chinese mathematics.
  18. ^ Needham, J. Science and Civilization in China. 1956 - present.
  19. ^ Yoke, H.P. Li, Qi and Shu: An Introduction to Science and Civilization in China. Dover.
  20. ^ History of science and technology in China.
  21. ^ Indian mathematics.
  22. ^ History of Indian science and technology.
  23. ^ Dover @ The Exact Sciences in Antiquity (O. Neugebauer); The Historical Roots of Elementary Mathematics (L.N.H. Bunt & P.S. Jones & J.D. Bedient).
  24. ^ Gillings, R.J. Mathematics in the Time of the Pharaohs. Dover.
  25. ^ Rhind Mathematical Papyrus.
  26. ^ Moscow Mathematical Papyrus.
  27. ^ Egyptian mathematics.
  28. ^ Babylonian mathematics.
  29. ^ Plimpton 322.
  30. ^ Bruno, L.C. Landmarks of Science from the Collections of the Library of Congress. 1989.
  31. ^ International League of Antiquarian Booksellers @ http://www.ilab.org/services/searchform.php
  32. ^ http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchEntry
  33. ^ Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America @ http://search.abaa.org/dbp2/searchform.php
  34. ^ http://www.sothebys.com
  35. ^ http://www.christies.com
  36. ^ http://store.doverpublications.com/by-subject-science-and-mathematics.html
  37. ^ Glenn, J. Scientific Genius: The Twenty Greatest Minds. Crescent Books, New York, 1996.
  38. ^ Simmons, J. The Scientific 100. Citadel Press, 1996.
  39. ^ Britannica. The 100 Most Influential Scientists. Running Press, 2008.
  40. ^ Hawking, S. God Created the Integers. Running Press, 2007.
  41. ^ Gribbin, J. A Brief History of Science. Barnes & Noble, New York, 1998.
  42. ^ Whitfield, P. Landmarks in Western Science: From Prehistory to the Atomic Age. Routledge, 1999.
  43. ^ Boyer, C.B. A History of Mathematics. 2ed, Wiley, 1991.
  44. ^ Dover @ Makers of Mathematics (S. Hollingdale); A Concise History of Mathematics (D.J. Struik); The Development of Mathematics (E.T. Bell).
  45. ^ List of scientific publications by Albert Einstein.