Spectators gather at night around a pyrotechnic fountain crowned with a statue of a child blowing bubbles—a symbol of vanity. A temple (decorated with geometric symbols, weights, measures, and various weapons and…

First published in 1617, Michael Maier's alchemical emblem book contains a preface on ancient music and the Greek myth of Atalanta and Hippomenes and consists of 50 engraved emblems, each accompanied by a discourse and…

Engraved title page is illustrated with two male figures standing on a pedestal with their names Zeuxis, a 5th century BC Greek painter, and Apelles, a 4th century BC Greek painter, found on the pedestal. They stand…

Jean-Antoine Nollet (1700-1770) was an 18th-century French experimental physicist known for discovering osmosis in 1748 and conducting foundational research on electricity. This book, published in 1746, features an…

18th-century work that covers both the aesthetic use of fireworks for celebrations and their practical, tactical applications in military conflict. The title page and plates have been digitized.

Manuscript owned by Issac Newton (1642-1727). Written in an unknown hand, the work consists of notes on a vivisection experiment conducted by Lorenzo Bellini (1643-1704), an Italian physician and anatomist. The…

Author John Dalton outlines his own red-green color blindness discovered through botanical studies of flower hues. Blank endpapers omitted during digitization.

Figure 101. Single Transferer
Figure 102. Double Transferer
Figure 103. Guinea and Feather Apparatus with 2 falls
Figure 104. Leslie's Pump for making Ice in any climate with three Receiver Plates each.

These…

Figure 109. Double 18-ich Electrical Machine a very splendid and powerful instrument, on Woodward's principle.
Figure 110. Harris's Unit Jar Electrometer with graduated slider, for charging other Leyden jars, or…

Figure 113. Henley's Quadrant Electrometer with graduated arc, for experiments with accumulated electricity.
Figure 114. Bennet's Gold-leaf Electroscope, with Singer's Improvement whereby the instrument is better…

Figure 124. Medical Jars mounted with Lane's discharging Electrometer to regulate the intensity of shock given to a patient.
Figure 125. Electrical Cannon for firing a mixture of hydrogen and atmospheric air by a spark…