The Incomparable Monsignor
Francesco Bianchini's world of science, history, and court intrigue
J.L. Heilbron
The Incomparable Monsignor
Francesco Bianchini's world of science, history, and court intrigue
J.L. Heilbron
Hardback / bound
|
English
€28.50
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Description
J. L. Heilbron introduces Francesco Bianchini, reputed to be the greatest Italian of his time, whose life embodied the extraordinary meeting of science, culture, history, and politics in early modern Europe. From the Jacobite cause to Newton's theories to the zodiac, Heilbron paints a glorious portrait of a world of excitement and discovery.
Heilbron (vice chancellor emer., Univ. of California, Berkeley) has written the only book length treatment in English of one of the Italian proto-Enlightenment's major figures, Francesco Bianchini (1662-1729)...certainly belongs in graduate history collections, especially at universities with strong programs in the history of science.
Heilbron writes with authority and - what is more unusual - genuine passion
The Incomparable Monsignor is an informative, entertaining biography of an extraordinary man, today only known in scholarly circles, which also throws some fresh light on European diplomacy, war, science, and scholarship, on the cusp of the eighteenth century.
Engaging and highly-readable, this is a lively history of not only an extraordinary individual but also a slice of the science, art, and courtly intrigue of the earth 18th century.
... fascinating biography... Bianchini is a delight to spend time with, and Heilbron... is an erudite and witty guide to the monsignor's world and his work.
Heilbron's biography is very well researched, excellently crafted, and superbly written.
This important biography of Francesco Bianchini reveals the significant relations which the Italian historian, antiquarian and astronomer developed with the exiled Stuart King James III during the crucial period following the death of Queen Anne. It should be essential reading for anyone interested in the Stuart court in exile or the Jacobite movement.
The Incomparable Monsignor opens a vista on a world of politics, science, antiquities and the church that has never before been so strikingly revealed. Heilbron's Bianchini crossed between Newtonianism, ancient chronology, and astronomy - all while masterfully operating within the close precincts of the Vatican in a time when a misstep could have fateful consequences. A consummate account, beautifully written, of a virtuoso scholar in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
The book is reminiscent of Heilbron's much-appreciated biography of Galileo Galilei,...interested readers will certainly find something to their liking in Heibron's rich biography.
J.L. Heilbron is Professor of History and the Vice Chancellor Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, as well as an Honorary Fellow of Worcester College, Oxford. He writes about the history of the physical sciences and their wider cultural context from the 17th to the 20th centuries, and has published the definitive biography of Galileo (OUP, 2010), as well as The History of Physics: A Very Short Introduction (OUP, 2018), Niels Bohr: A Very Short Introduction, (OUP, 2020), and The Ghost of Galileo (OUP, 2021). Heilbron's work has won several prizes and brought him honorary doctorates from multiple universities.
Heilbron (vice chancellor emer., Univ. of California, Berkeley) has written the only book length treatment in English of one of the Italian proto-Enlightenment's major figures, Francesco Bianchini (1662-1729)...certainly belongs in graduate history collections, especially at universities with strong programs in the history of science.
Heilbron writes with authority and - what is more unusual - genuine passion
The Incomparable Monsignor is an informative, entertaining biography of an extraordinary man, today only known in scholarly circles, which also throws some fresh light on European diplomacy, war, science, and scholarship, on the cusp of the eighteenth century.
Engaging and highly-readable, this is a lively history of not only an extraordinary individual but also a slice of the science, art, and courtly intrigue of the earth 18th century.
... fascinating biography... Bianchini is a delight to spend time with, and Heilbron... is an erudite and witty guide to the monsignor's world and his work.
Heilbron's biography is very well researched, excellently crafted, and superbly written.
This important biography of Francesco Bianchini reveals the significant relations which the Italian historian, antiquarian and astronomer developed with the exiled Stuart King James III during the crucial period following the death of Queen Anne. It should be essential reading for anyone interested in the Stuart court in exile or the Jacobite movement.
The Incomparable Monsignor opens a vista on a world of politics, science, antiquities and the church that has never before been so strikingly revealed. Heilbron's Bianchini crossed between Newtonianism, ancient chronology, and astronomy - all while masterfully operating within the close precincts of the Vatican in a time when a misstep could have fateful consequences. A consummate account, beautifully written, of a virtuoso scholar in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
The book is reminiscent of Heilbron's much-appreciated biography of Galileo Galilei,...interested readers will certainly find something to their liking in Heibron's rich biography.
J.L. Heilbron is Professor of History and the Vice Chancellor Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, as well as an Honorary Fellow of Worcester College, Oxford. He writes about the history of the physical sciences and their wider cultural context from the 17th to the 20th centuries, and has published the definitive biography of Galileo (OUP, 2010), as well as The History of Physics: A Very Short Introduction (OUP, 2018), Niels Bohr: A Very Short Introduction, (OUP, 2020), and The Ghost of Galileo (OUP, 2021). Heilbron's work has won several prizes and brought him honorary doctorates from multiple universities.