This virtual exhibition of Apianus and Gemma's
Cosmographia will illustrate some of these issues in three
main sections. One section describes the extensive publishing
history of Cosmographia. Another section concens the
mathematical instruments
illustrated by Apianus and Gemma and attempts to place them in
an historical context, linking them to artifacts in the Museum
of the History of Science's collections. A third section considers
cartography in Cosmographia
in the wider context of its rapid development in 16th century
Europe. Also included in the exhibition are biographies
of the authors, a listing
of published editions, references
for further reading and acknowledgements.
We hope this exhibition will help illuminate the nature and growing
importance of cosmography and practical mathematics in the 16th
century. More importantly we hope this site will draw attention
to a wonderful and important text in the history of science and
publishing. |