The Tradition of Technology

The collections of the Library of Congress include first editions works by many of the best-known names in the history of technology--among them Gutenberg, Fulton, Watt, Marconi, Leeuwenhoek, Mercator, Fahrenheit, Daguerre, Bell, Goddard, Babbage, and Wright. Seminal works of Greece and Rome, as well as technical works by such men of science as Galileo, Boyle, Huygens, Kepler, Leibniz, Franklin, and Van Newman, further enrich the library's holdings. In The Tradition of Technology Leonard C. Bruno describes in detail more than 350 significant works from this vast collection, conveying both the excitement of first discovery and the distinctly human aspects behind each technological achievement. Richly illustrated with 240 photographs, engravings, reproductions, and maps (eleven in color), this monumental guide offers a comprehensive and authoritative tour through the library, as well as a sweeping survey of the history of technology, from Greek and Roman times through the late twentieth century. In addition to presenting the works of scientific greats, Bruno also describes the accomplishments of lesser known individuals, such as the fourteenth-century poetess Christine de Pisan, who was an informed source on classical warfare; the Roman cook Apicius, who offers a glimpse into the cooking and eating habits of Rome's elite; Francesco di Giorgio, a painter, sculptor, architect, and engineer who was a precursor of Leonardo; and Oliver Evans, America's first real technological genius. He also relates the technological discoveries of persons better known in other fields--including Geoffrey Chaucer on the astrolabe, Albrecht Durer on fortification, Niccolo Machiavelli on warfare, Rene Descartes on the microscope, and Blaise Pascal on the barometer and calculating machine.

Leonard C. Bruno is a Senior Science Specialist in the Science and Technology Division of the Library of Congress.