Items related to Athanasius Kircher's Theatre of the World
Athanasius Kircher (1602–80) was acknowledged to be the most learned man of his age. By profession a Jesuit priest, he made himself an authority on every subject under (and above) the sun and published the results of his researches in over thirty lavishly illustrated volumes in Latin. His museum in Rome was famous and visited by everybody in the world of learning. Inevitably, his work has been superseded in most areas of study, but he remains a key figure in the history of ideas and in recent years there has been a revival of interest, in which Joscelyn Godwin has played a leading role. But while every other aspect of his thought has been studied, the fascinating engravings with which he illustrated his ideas have been largely ignored. This book fills that gap. It is divided into 15 chapters grouped by the engravings’ subject; these illustrations reveal his singular mind and the way he was drawn to mysticism and magic.
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Review:
'An enchanting compendium of curiosities ... a stupendously good piece of design. Every illustration is reproduced in exactly the right place; the captions are superbly apt and very clearly signalled; the sidebars are tactfully positioned and filled with exactly the right amount of information. The author and the publisher have taken real, prolonged, and exhaustive pains to make a beautiful book, and succeeded' - Philip Pullman, Guardian 'Magisterial ... a beautiful, absorbing and utterly wonderful book' - Times Higher Education
About the Author:
Joscelyn Godwin is Professor of Music at Colgate University, New York state. He is the author of many books, including A Renaissance Man and the Quest for Lost Knowledge and The Pagan Dream of the Renaissance, both published by Thames & Hudson. He has also edited or translated nineteen other books, including the first complete English translation of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, published by Thames & Hudson in 1999.
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- PublisherThames and Hudson Ltd
- Publication date2015
- ISBN 10 0500291748
- ISBN 13 9780500291740
- BindingPaperback
- Edition number1
- Number of pages304
- Rating
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Athanasius Kircher's Theatre of the World (Paperback)
Published by
Thames & Hudson Ltd, London
(2015)
ISBN 10: 0500291748
ISBN 13: 9780500291740
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. In the 17th century Athanasius Kircher was a phenomenon. In the 21st he has become a cult. By profession a Jesuit priest, he made himself an authority on almost every subject under the sun. His most vaunted achievement was to translate the Egyptian hieroglyphs, and though he got them wrong his work marked the beginning of Egyptology.Kircher was the first to map ocean currents; the first to offer a comprehensive theory of vulcanism; the first to compile an encyclopaedia on China, a dictionary of Coptic, a book dedicated solely to acoustics; the first to construct a machine for coding messages and another for composing music. Other interests included biblical archaeology and Christian and non-Christian history, the machinery of illusionism, the Kabbalah, the planets and the biology of animals and plants. His museum in Rome was among the most famous 'cabinets of curiosities', visited by everybody in the intellectual world.In recent years the study of this fascinating man and his works has become an industry. His peculiar mind, his instinct for mystical meanings and the occult, and his talent for finding visual equivalents for his theories continue to intrigue. But while every other aspect of Kircher's thought has been exhaustively analysed, his prolific illustrations have been left largely unexplained. Kircher had an extraordinary imagination, comparable to the most avant-garde modern artist, even (or often especially) when he was wrong.The present book fills that gap. It proves how much more we still have to learn from this eccentric genius. Joscelyn Godwin's unrivalled mastery of his subject gives a sure underpinning to the presentation of hundreds of engravings through which Kircher prepared his ideas and through which we can see the mind of one of the most memorable thinkers who has ever lived. Athanasius Kircher (1602-80) was acknowledged to be the most learned man of his age. By profession a Jesuit priest, he made himself an authority on every subject under (and above) the sun and published the results of his researches in over thirty illustrated volumes in Latin. This book deals with his work. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780500291740
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Athanasius Kircher's Theatre of the World (Paperback)
Published by
Thames & Hudson Ltd, London
(2015)
ISBN 10: 0500291748
ISBN 13: 9780500291740
New
Paperback
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. In the 17th century Athanasius Kircher was a phenomenon. In the 21st he has become a cult. By profession a Jesuit priest, he made himself an authority on almost every subject under the sun. His most vaunted achievement was to translate the Egyptian hieroglyphs, and though he got them wrong his work marked the beginning of Egyptology.Kircher was the first to map ocean currents; the first to offer a comprehensive theory of vulcanism; the first to compile an encyclopaedia on China, a dictionary of Coptic, a book dedicated solely to acoustics; the first to construct a machine for coding messages and another for composing music. Other interests included biblical archaeology and Christian and non-Christian history, the machinery of illusionism, the Kabbalah, the planets and the biology of animals and plants. His museum in Rome was among the most famous 'cabinets of curiosities', visited by everybody in the intellectual world.In recent years the study of this fascinating man and his works has become an industry. His peculiar mind, his instinct for mystical meanings and the occult, and his talent for finding visual equivalents for his theories continue to intrigue. But while every other aspect of Kircher's thought has been exhaustively analysed, his prolific illustrations have been left largely unexplained. Kircher had an extraordinary imagination, comparable to the most avant-garde modern artist, even (or often especially) when he was wrong.The present book fills that gap. It proves how much more we still have to learn from this eccentric genius. Joscelyn Godwin's unrivalled mastery of his subject gives a sure underpinning to the presentation of hundreds of engravings through which Kircher prepared his ideas and through which we can see the mind of one of the most memorable thinkers who has ever lived. Athanasius Kircher (1602-80) was acknowledged to be the most learned man of his age. By profession a Jesuit priest, he made himself an authority on every subject under (and above) the sun and published the results of his researches in over thirty illustrated volumes in Latin. This book deals with his work. Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780500291740
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Athanasius Kircher's Theatre of the World (Paperback)
Published by
Thames & Hudson Ltd, London
(2015)
ISBN 10: 0500291748
ISBN 13: 9780500291740
New
Paperback
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. In the 17th century Athanasius Kircher was a phenomenon. In the 21st he has become a cult. By profession a Jesuit priest, he made himself an authority on almost every subject under the sun. His most vaunted achievement was to translate the Egyptian hieroglyphs, and though he got them wrong his work marked the beginning of Egyptology.Kircher was the first to map ocean currents; the first to offer a comprehensive theory of vulcanism; the first to compile an encyclopaedia on China, a dictionary of Coptic, a book dedicated solely to acoustics; the first to construct a machine for coding messages and another for composing music. Other interests included biblical archaeology and Christian and non-Christian history, the machinery of illusionism, the Kabbalah, the planets and the biology of animals and plants. His museum in Rome was among the most famous 'cabinets of curiosities', visited by everybody in the intellectual world.In recent years the study of this fascinating man and his works has become an industry. His peculiar mind, his instinct for mystical meanings and the occult, and his talent for finding visual equivalents for his theories continue to intrigue. But while every other aspect of Kircher's thought has been exhaustively analysed, his prolific illustrations have been left largely unexplained. Kircher had an extraordinary imagination, comparable to the most avant-garde modern artist, even (or often especially) when he was wrong.The present book fills that gap. It proves how much more we still have to learn from this eccentric genius. Joscelyn Godwin's unrivalled mastery of his subject gives a sure underpinning to the presentation of hundreds of engravings through which Kircher prepared his ideas and through which we can see the mind of one of the most memorable thinkers who has ever lived. Athanasius Kircher (1602-80) was acknowledged to be the most learned man of his age. By profession a Jesuit priest, he made himself an authority on every subject under (and above) the sun and published the results of his researches in over thirty illustrated volumes in Latin. This book deals with his work. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780500291740
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