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"What sort of information did people in early modern England seek? In The Practical Renaissance Donna Seger explores the diffusion and reception of prescriptive publications over the 16th and 17th centuries. Published in an age of dynamic religious and political change, these texts demonstrate the universal desire for health and wealth, a fortified body and an orderly household. With an emphasis not only on content, but also the process by which classical and continental information was 'Englished', this book shows how it was supplanted by more empirical and authoritative knowledge. Published in an age of dynamic religious and political change, these texts, which include plague tracts, husbandry handbooks, printed recipe books, and navigation manuals, demonstrate the universal desire for health and wealth, a fortified body and an orderly household. Divided into three parts, the opening chapters explore factors which affected the diffusion of practical knowledge via prescriptive texts. Part two focuses on the interaction between new discoveries and traditional authority, and the final section considers debates in the 'medical marketplace', the term 'knowledge-mongerer' and the commodification of knowledge at this time. A thorough exploration into the popular and pragmatic expressions of the period, The Practical Renaissance offers a new window into the movement in which knowledge and information became power"--
List of contents
Introduction: Jewels Abound
Part I (1500-1557): Diffusion
Chapter 1: Regimens and Rules: The Rudiments of Health and Husbandry
Chapter 2: Mathematics and Mensuration
Part II (1558-1603): Discovery
Chapter 3: Elizabethan Exploration and Experimentation: What's New
a. Alchemy Assimilated
b. New Lands, New Crops, New Cures, New Trees, New Foods
c. Husbandry and Huswifery
Chapter 4: The Navigators
Part III: (1604-1640): Debate
Chapter 5. The Plague and Public Health in Early Stuart London
Chapter 6: The Knowledge-Mongers
a. Gervase Markham and the Way to Get Wealth
b. Ready Reckoning and Reference
Bibliography
Index
About the author
Donna A. Seger is Professor of History at Salem State University, USA.
Summary
What sort of information did people in early modern England seek? In The Practical Renaissance Donna Seger explores the diffusion and reception of prescriptive publications over the 16th and 17th centuries. Published in an age of dynamic religious and political change, these texts demonstrate the universal desire for health and wealth, a fortified body and an orderly household.
Showing how classical and continental information had been "Englished" over time, this book shows how new publications supplanted these traditional ideas with more empirical and authoritative knowledge. Published in an age of dynamic religious and political change, these texts, which include plague tracts, husbandry handbooks, printed recipe books, and navigation manuals, demonstrate the universal desire for health and wealth, a fortified body and an orderly household. Divided into three parts, the opening chapters explore factors which affected the diffusion of practical knowledge via prescriptive texts. Part two focuses on the interaction between new discoveries and traditional authority, and the final section considers debates in the ‘medical marketplace’, the term ‘knowledge-mongerer’ and the commodification of knowledge at this time.
A thorough exploration into the popular and pragmatic expressions of the period, The Practical Renaissance offers a new window into the movement in which knowledge and information became power.
Additional text
[This book] is interesting, well-written, well-conceived, covers a vast amount of material and numerous relevant subjects and fills a gap in the knowledge of many Renaissance scholars.
