The Measure of Reality: Quantification in Western Europe, 1250 1600 (Revised)
Crosby
(Author)
Alfred W. Crosby
(Author)
Description
Western Europeans were among the first, if not the first, to invent mechanical clocks, geometrically precise maps, double-entry bookkeeping, precise algebraic and musical notations, and perspective painting. More people in Western Europe thought quantitatively in the sixteenth century than in any other part of the world, enabling them to become the world's leaders. With amusing detail and historical anecdote, Alfred Crosby discusses the shift from qualitative to quantitative perception that occurred during the late Middle Ages and Renaissance. Alfred W. Crosby is the author of five books, including the award-winning Ecological Imperialism: The Biological Expansion of Europe, 900-1900 (Cambridge, 1986)
Product Details
Price
$29.99
$27.89
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Publish Date
December 13, 1997
Pages
262
Dimensions
5.99 X 8.9 X 0.67 inches | 0.81 pounds
Language
English
Type
Paperback
EAN/UPC
9780521639903
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About the Author
Alfred W. Crosby, Jr. is professor emeritus of American studies, history, and geography at the University of Texas, Austin. He is the author of Ecological Imperialism: The Biological Expansion of Europe, 900-1900 (1986), America's Forgotten Pandemic: The Influenza of 1918 (1989), The Measure of Reality: Quantification and Western Society, 1250-1600 (1997), and most recently Throwing Fire: Projectile Technology through History (2002).
Reviews
"...we have all benefited from Crosby's attempt to sum up the age." Paula Findlen, The Sixteenth Century Journal
"How the numerate urge developed and blossomed is the subject of this gracefully written book by Alfred W. Crosby....Crosby constructs a convincing account of how different forces came together to elevate quantification as a social and economic good in Western European society." Business Week
"It's not often that one wishes a scholarly book were longer. In the case of The Measure of Reality, one does." Civilization
"...highly original....Crosby writes in an easy, chatty style punctuated with fascinating questions...appealing to the general reader as well as the scholar....[makes] valuable contributions to the current discussion on cultural studies." Library Journal
"...very accessible and readable...[a] stimulating, wide-ranging study of the intellectual development of the medieval West....Mr. Crosby tracks a magnificent journey, from the introspective mentality of the early Middle Ages, which willingly tolerated ignorance and lack of precision, to a mentality that conceived of the physical universe in visual and quantitative terms....Mr. Crosby tells a heroic story of discovery and change that many readers will turn to for enlightenment." New York Times Book Review
"The author provides some remarkable insights on modern culture....This is one of those rare books, one that changes the reader's view of the world just beyond the page." The Baltimore Sun
"...[an] engrossing study....It is a joy for anyone interested in why we think the way we think." Publishers Weekly
"Here, at last, is a theme that may provoke students and maybe also mature scholars--the primacy of art and commerce in the formation of a scientific-technological mentality." Theodore M. Porter, Technology & Culture
"How the numerate urge developed and blossomed is the subject of this gracefully written book by Alfred W. Crosby....Crosby constructs a convincing account of how different forces came together to elevate quantification as a social and economic good in Western European society." Business Week
"It's not often that one wishes a scholarly book were longer. In the case of The Measure of Reality, one does." Civilization
"...highly original....Crosby writes in an easy, chatty style punctuated with fascinating questions...appealing to the general reader as well as the scholar....[makes] valuable contributions to the current discussion on cultural studies." Library Journal
"...very accessible and readable...[a] stimulating, wide-ranging study of the intellectual development of the medieval West....Mr. Crosby tracks a magnificent journey, from the introspective mentality of the early Middle Ages, which willingly tolerated ignorance and lack of precision, to a mentality that conceived of the physical universe in visual and quantitative terms....Mr. Crosby tells a heroic story of discovery and change that many readers will turn to for enlightenment." New York Times Book Review
"The author provides some remarkable insights on modern culture....This is one of those rare books, one that changes the reader's view of the world just beyond the page." The Baltimore Sun
"...[an] engrossing study....It is a joy for anyone interested in why we think the way we think." Publishers Weekly
"Here, at last, is a theme that may provoke students and maybe also mature scholars--the primacy of art and commerce in the formation of a scientific-technological mentality." Theodore M. Porter, Technology & Culture
