Scientific Instruments, 1500-1900: An
Introduction
by Gerald L'E. Turner
1998, Berkeley, University of California Press
Reviewed by David Topper
Turner is surely one of the foremost contemporary
historians of scientific instruments. His latest book
constitutes a general introduction to instruments from
about 1500 to 1900, placing them is their historical
context with respect to earlier instruments. It is not a
chronological history but rather a topical survey of
the subject. The range is extensive, almost
breathtaking, covering not only conventional subjects
such as astronomy, navigation, surveying, and
medicine, but also including instruments used in
weighing, measuring, calculating, and drawing. As
such, in a profusely illustrated text of only 136 pages,
no instrument is discussed in much depth. For
example, the eidograph (a 19th century instrument
for reducing and enlarging a drawing) gets one
paragraph of description, the mention of its inventor,
and no illustration. The slide rule, on the other hand,
gets about 1* pages with an illustration. The book is
thus valuable as an introductory survey of
instruments; this is especially true for the more
obscure ones. However, the more ubiquitous camera
gets less than a page with no illustration.
The text is clearly written, requiring little technical knowledge, beyond an understanding of the subject for which the instrument was designed. In addition to dealing with the history of the instruments, Turner also often refers to the manufacturers and maker, as well as tips on dating; at the end of the book is a list of major museums and collections in the world. Hence the book may be of value to collectors. There are 30 black & white and 76 color plates: a perusal of which reminds one that there was a time when scientific instruments were works of art--or, at least, expressions of exquisite craftsmanship.
Date: March 1999
This review is copyrighted Leonardo Digital Reviews,1999.
