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The light ages : the surprising story of medieval science / Seb Falk.

By: Material type: TextTextLanguage: English, English, Middle (1100-1500), Latin, Italian Original language: English, Middle (1100-1500), Latin, Italian Publisher: New York, NY : W.W. Norton & Company, 2020Copyright date: ©2020Edition: First American editionDescription: xv, 391 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color), maps (some color) : 24 cmContent type:
  • text
  • still image
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9781324002932
  • 132400293X
Subject(s):
Contents:
Prologue: the mystery manuscript -- Westwyk and Westwick -- The reckoning of time -- Universitas -- Astrolabe and Albion -- Saturn in the first house -- The bishop's crusade -- Computer of the planets -- Epilogue: the mystery instrument.
Summary: "An illuminating guide to the scientific and technological achievements of the Middle Ages through the life of a crusading astronomer-monk. Soaring Gothic cathedrals, violent crusades, the Black Death: these are the dramatic forces that shaped the medieval era. But the so-called Dark Ages also gave us the first universities, eyeglasses, and mechanical clocks, proving that the Middle Ages were home to a vibrant scientific culture. In 'The Light Ages', Cambridge science historian Seb Falk takes us on an immersive tour of medieval science through the story of one fourteenth-century monk, John of Westwyk. From multiplying Roman numerals to navigating by the stars, curing disease, and telling time with an ancient astrolabe, we learn emerging science alongside Westwyk, while following the gripping story of the struggles and successes of an ordinary man in a precarious world. An enlightening history that argues that these times weren't so dark after all, 'The Light Ages' shows how medieval ideas continue to color how we see the world today"-- Provided by publisher.
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library NonFiction 509.409 F191 Available 33111010428882
Adult Book Adult Book Northport Library NonFiction 509.409 F191 Available 33111008982049
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Soaring Gothic cathedrals, violent crusades, the Black Death: these are the dramatic forces that shaped the medieval era. But the so-called Dark Ages also gave us the first universities, eyeglasses, and mechanical clocks. As medieval thinkers sought to understand the world around them, from the passing of the seasons to the stars in the sky, they came to develop a vibrant scientific culture.

In The Light Ages, Cambridge science historian Seb Falk takes us on a tour of medieval science through the eyes of one fourteenth-century monk, John of Westwyk. Born in a rural manor, educated in England's grandest monastery, and then exiled to a clifftop priory, Westwyk was an intrepid crusader, inventor, and astrologer. From multiplying Roman numerals to navigating by the stars, curing disease, and telling time with an ancient astrolabe, we learn emerging science alongside Westwyk and travel with him through the length and breadth of England and beyond its shores. On our way, we encounter a remarkable cast of characters: the clock-building English abbot with leprosy, the French craftsman-turned-spy, and the Persian polymath who founded the world's most advanced observatory.

The Light Ages offers a gripping story of the struggles and successes of an ordinary man in a precarious world and conjures a vivid picture of medieval life as we have never seen it before. An enlightening history that argues that these times weren't so dark after all, The Light Ages shows how medieval ideas continue to color how we see the world today.

Includes quotations in Middle English, Latin, or Italian, with translations in English.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Prologue: the mystery manuscript -- Westwyk and Westwick -- The reckoning of time -- Universitas -- Astrolabe and Albion -- Saturn in the first house -- The bishop's crusade -- Computer of the planets -- Epilogue: the mystery instrument.

"An illuminating guide to the scientific and technological achievements of the Middle Ages through the life of a crusading astronomer-monk. Soaring Gothic cathedrals, violent crusades, the Black Death: these are the dramatic forces that shaped the medieval era. But the so-called Dark Ages also gave us the first universities, eyeglasses, and mechanical clocks, proving that the Middle Ages were home to a vibrant scientific culture. In 'The Light Ages', Cambridge science historian Seb Falk takes us on an immersive tour of medieval science through the story of one fourteenth-century monk, John of Westwyk. From multiplying Roman numerals to navigating by the stars, curing disease, and telling time with an ancient astrolabe, we learn emerging science alongside Westwyk, while following the gripping story of the struggles and successes of an ordinary man in a precarious world. An enlightening history that argues that these times weren't so dark after all, 'The Light Ages' shows how medieval ideas continue to color how we see the world today"-- Provided by publisher.

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