Tuesday, 4 June 2013

Some Remarkable Books Written in the 17th Century



Somnium (The Dream), by Johannes Kepler. (Publ. 1630)
It is an early work of science fiction. The main character is transported to the Moon.

Labyrinth of the World and Paradise of the Heart (1623) by Czech author John Amos Comenius

Vox Pisces, or The Book-Fish, containing three treatises which were found in the belly of a cod-fish in Cambridge market, on Midsummer Eve last. (Publ.1627) 

Diagrams and explanations of the wonderful machines of the Far West (publ. 1627), an encyclopedia of Western mechanical devices translated into Chinese by the Jesuit Johann Schreck and the Chinese scholar Wang Zheng.

The Mysteries of Nature and Art (1634), by John Bate

The Pentamerone ("The Tale of Tales, or Entertainment for Little Ones") is a fairy tale collection by Giambattista Basile. (Publ. 1634)

The Blazing World (1666) is an early work of science fiction by Margaret Cavendish, the Duchess of Newcastle. 

Le Théâtre François divisé en trois Livres, où il est traité I. De L’Usage de la Comédie. II. Des Auteurs qui soutiennent le Theatre. III. De la Conduite des Comédiens, by Samuel Chappuzeau. (Publ.1674) It is the main source of information on French Theatre in the 17th Century. 

An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon together With somewhat Concerning Severall Remarkable passages of my life that hath hapned [sic] since my Deliverance out of Captivity, by Robert Knox (1681)

Musaeum Clausum (Sealed Museum), also known as Bibliotheca abscondita, by Thomas Browne (publ. 1684). It is an inventory of invented books, antiquities, and rarities.

Oroonoko, by Aphra Behn (Publ. 1688)
The main character is an enslaved African living in Surinam.

Confusion of Confusions (1688), by Joseph de la Vega.
It is the oldest book ever written on the stock exchange business. The author was a Spanish Jewish merchant and poet.

No comments:

Post a Comment