Literature and Science, 1660-1834

Covering topics that illustrate the state of science in England at a time when the distinction between science and literature had not yet been drawn, these four volumes present facsimile reproductions of texts published between the founding of the Royal Academy in 1660, and the coining of the word "scientist" in 1834. The editor or editors for each volume introduce the subject and each selected work and provide a bibliography. Volume one features 15 works illustrating the reception of science in English society, including Thomas Sprat's History of the Royal Society, Voltaire's Introduction to the philosophy of Newton, and three essays by Joseph Priestley. The second volume contains nine works on medical notions of the body and mind, including Abraham Cowley's "Ode upon Dr. Harvey"; John Arbuthnot's Know yourself, of 1734; and excerpts from Thomas Beddoes' Hygeia and Thomas Trotter's A View of the nervous temperament, of 1807. In volume three, 20 documents discuss scientific phenomena of the earth, including earthquakes, storms, tides, currents, volcanoes, rivers, and electricity. Volume four, on flora, contains 11 works and includes a cumulative index. Four more volumes have been published (ISBN 1-85196-737-0), on fauna, astronomy, natural philosophy, and chemistry. Distributed by Ashgate. Annotation c2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)