A study of the life and works of Athanasius Kircher, "Germanus incredibilis" : with a selection of his unpublished correspondence and an annotated translation of his autobiography...
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Athanasius Kircher, a German Jesuit in 17th-century Rome, was an enigma. Intensely pious and a prolific author, he was also a polymath fascinated with everything from Egyptian hieroglyphs to the tiny creatures in his microscope. His correspondence with popes, princes and priests was a window into the restless energy of the period. It showed first-hand the seventeenth-century's struggle for knowledge in astronomy, microscopy, geology, chemistry, musicology, Egyptology, horology... The list goes on. Kircher's books reflect the mind-set of 17th-century scholars - endless curiosity and a substantial larding of naiveté: Kircher scorned alchemy as the wishful thinking of charlatans, yet believed in dragons. His life and correspondence provide a key to the transition from the Middle Ages to a new scientific age. This book, though unpublished, has been long quoted and referred to. Awaited by scholars and specialists of Kircher, it is finally available with this edition.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004216327 :
1871-1405 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
A commentary on the letters of M. Cornelius Fronto /
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This is the first commentary on the letters of Marcus Cornelius Fronto (c. 90-95 - c. 167). It aims at an extensive grammatical, stylistic and historical interpretation of the letters and the ancient testimonies on Fronto. The author demonstrates where Fronto stands in Latin literature; hence the numerous quotations of parallel, similar and dissentient passages from Fronto and other writers. The letters are written in a pure, simple style, with a great deal of colloquialisms and many a post-classical turn of phrase. The many archaisms show how Fronto as a philologist had a comprehensive knowledge of pre-Cicero Latin. This commentary, based on the Teubner-edition by the author (Leipzig 1988), offers a thorough explanation of Fronto's style and language, e.g. of his archaisms and colloquialisms, identification of the persons mentioned, and the chronology of the letters. Seven elaborate indices complete this book.
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1 online resource (xi, 725 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 701-717) and indexes. :
9789004351301 :
0169-8958 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.