A thinker of the world
Athanasius Kircher isn’t exactly a household name, but the 17th-century Jesuit scholar changed the course of dozens of fields of study. A new book, “Theatre of the World,” written by Joscelyn Godwin and recently published by Thames & Hudson, explores Kirchner’s ideas through detailed illustrations contributed by Cornell University Library.
Among the detailed illustrations are volcanoes, Egyptian sarcophagi and a hypothetical layout of Noah’s Ark. With a few exceptions, all of the book’s 410 illustrations were contributed by the library’s Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections and digitized by the Digital Media Group within Digital Consulting and Production Services (DCAPS).
Log on to Luna Insight to see the images used in the book. Ordering information and a detailed description of the book is available on the publisher’s Web site. Also, visit the DCAPS Web site to check out other library projects.
- Gwen Glazer