A01=Robert J. Silverman
A01=Thomas L. Hankins
Adverb
Aeolian harp
Air pump
Allegory
Analogy
Athanasius Kircher
Author_Robert J. Silverman
Author_Thomas L. Hankins
Camera
Categorization
Category=PDX
Collecting
Concept
Consideration
Creativity
Crowd
Depiction
Diagram
Dye
eq_bestseller
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_science
Experiment
Experimental philosophy
Experimental physics
Explanation
Groping
Harpsichord
Human eye
Human power
Hypothesis
Illustration
Imagery
Imagination
Inductive reasoning
Interaction
Kymograph
Larynx
Lecture
Light
Magic (illusion)
Magnification
Measurement
Metaphor
Microscope
Musical instrument
Musical note
Natural magic
Natural philosophy
Observation
Perception
Phenomenon
Philosopher
Philosophy
Phonautograph
Photography
Physical change
Pitch (music)
Poetry
Reason
Reinterpretation
Result
Romanticism
Science
Scientific instrument
Stereoscope
Stereoscopy
Suggestion
Temperament
Theory
Thought
Timbre
Vibration
Visual effects
Vowel
Writing
Product details
- ISBN 9780691606453
- Weight: 794g
- Dimensions: 216 x 279mm
- Publication Date: 14 Jul 2014
- Publisher: Princeton University Press
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Paperback
Secure
checkout
Fast Shipping
Easy returns
Thomas Hankins and Robert Silverman investigate an array of instruments from the seventeenth through the nineteenth century that seem at first to be marginal to science--magnetic clocks that were said to operate by the movements of sunflower seeds, magic lanterns, ocular harpsichords (machines that played different colored lights in harmonious mixtures), Aeolian harps (a form of wind chime), and other instruments of "natural magic" designed to produce wondrous effects. By looking at these and the first recording instruments, the stereoscope, and speaking machines, the authors show that "scientific instruments" first made their appearance as devices used to evoke wonder in the beholder, as in works of magic and the theater. The authors also demonstrate that these instruments, even though they were often "tricks," were seen by their inventors as more than trickery.
In the view of Athanasius Kircher, for instance, the sunflower clock was not merely a hoax, but an effort to demonstrate, however fraudulently, his truly held belief that the ability of a flower to follow the sun was due to the same cosmic magnetic influence as that which moved the planets and caused the rotation of the earth. The marvels revealed in this work raise and answer questions about the connections between natural science and natural magic, the meaning of demonstration, the role of language and the senses in science, and the connections among art, music, literature, and natural science. Originally published in 1995. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
