Summary: First editions from the pens of many of the most well-known names in the development of technology - Gutenberg, Fulton, Watt, Marconi, Leeuwenhoek, Mercator, Fahrenheit, Daguerre, Bell, Goddard, Babbage, and Wright - are encountered on this tour through the technology collections of the Libary of Congress. A narrative blend of history and bibliography, this book looks at significant first editions and other notable works from the technology collections.
The author discusses seminal works of Greece - for instance, the works of Hero - and of Rome - such as those of Vitruvius - as well as technical works by such renowned men of science as Galileo, Boyle, Huygens, Kepler, Leibniz, Franklin, and Von Neumann. Also included are the accomplishments of little-known individuals such as the fourteenth-century poetess Christine de Pisan, who was an informed source on classical warfare; the Roman cook Apicius, who offers a glimpse into the cooking and eating habits of Rome's elite; Francesco di Giorgio, a painter, sculptor, architect, and engineer who was a precursor of Leonardo; and Oliver Evans, America's first real technological genius.