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Whipple Library

Department of History and Philosophy of Science
 
16th century map
Read more at: The Sphere of Marcus Manilius

The Sphere of Marcus Manilius

This folio volume contains the first book of Marcus Manilius' Astronomicon , which is thought to be the oldest treatise on astrology.


Read more at: Deleuze’s Histoire et description du Muséum Royal d’Histoire Naturelle

Deleuze’s Histoire et description du Muséum Royal d’Histoire Naturelle

Published in 1823, this is an account of an institution central to the history of natural sciences, written by its librarian at a key point in its development.


Read more at: Stephens’ Catalogue of British Insects

Stephens’ Catalogue of British Insects

This is a unique copy of a major early 19th-century work on taxonomic listing, intended to include all known insects of the British Isles.


Read more at: Apian’s Cosmographia

Apian’s Cosmographia

The Cosmographia is a guide to the discipline of cosmography, which Apian described as 'the description of the world (which consists of four elements, Earth, Water, Air, & Fire), also of the Sun, the Moon, & all the stars, & of the heavens with whatever vault covers them.'


Read more at: Francis Willughby, Ornithology

Francis Willughby, Ornithology

The Ornithologiæ libri tres (referred to as the Ornithology ) is one of the first truly scientific ornithological texts.


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