The Biblio File hosted by Nigel Beale Mark Andrews on Collecting Books about the Science and Engineering of Water
Jun 20, 2022
01:03:02
Why did I interview Mark Andrews? Because he's a fellow Canadian, he's an exceptional book collector who brings an engineer's mind to the task, and he's just published a beautiful book featuring selections from his book collection, entitled The Science and Engineering of Water; An illustrated catalogue of books and manuscripts on Italian hydraulics, 1500 - 1800; it's exemplary. Exactly the kind of thing every book collector should think about doing - in some iteration - with his/her/their own collection. Mark's catalogue explores the development of science and engineering through the early modern period by presenting 367 printed books, manuscripts and maps in chronological order. They highlight the relationship between the evolution of ideas and the authors who documented these ideas. Drawing from Mark's larger collection of civil engineering titles, it's filled with illustrations and diagrams (nearly 1000), from books that were used as working tools by Italian scientists, engineers, and builders from the early 1500s to the end of the 1700s. Trust me. While books on Italian hydraulics may not sound exactly riveting, they are. At least, they are when Mark talks about them.