The Jewel House

Elizabethan London and the Scientific Revolution

De: Deborah Harkness

Narrado por: Kate Reading

Best-selling author Deborah E. Harkness explores the streets, shops, back alleys, and gardens of Elizabethan London, where a boisterous and diverse group of men and women shared a keen interest in the study of nature. These assorted merchants, gardeners, barber-surgeons, midwives, instrument makers, mathematics teachers, engineers, alchemists, and other experimenters, she contends, formed a patchwork scientific community whose practices set the stage for the Scientific Revolution. It was their collaborative, yet often contentious, ethos that helped to develop the ideals of modern scientific research. The Jewel House examines six particularly fascinating episodes of scientific inquiry and dispute in 16th-century London, bringing to life the individuals involved and the challenges they faced. These men and women experimented and invented, argued and competed, waged wars in the press, and struggled to understand the complexities of the natural world. Together, their stories illuminate the blind alleys and surprising twists and turns taken as medieval philosophy gave way to the empirical, experimental culture that became a hallmark of the Scientific Revolution.

©2007 Deborah E. Harkness (P)2014 Tantor

Remarkable insights into Elizabethan London

I found this book interesting and eye opening. Ms. Harkness gives a shining new historical perspective on the Elizabethan Scientific Revolution.
it is true that some parts seem disjointed. But given the lengths and depths she went to in order to discover this lost information, it's really not at all surprising. This book is a testimony to the dedication of historical research. I would listen to it again.
Let me also say that it is not a dry read. Full of fun facts, new insights to famous historical figures, discovery of hereto unheard of figures, and funny anecdotes from the time. Really excellent.

Non-fiction about the development of science

This is non-fiction, no witches or vampires here, and relates the development of various scientific pursuits in 16th century London. Not gonna lie, it starts kinda slow, lots of unfamiliar names & dates, and the lovely British narration can be soporific. But it picks up, and by the end I was cursing at Francis Bacon and wishing I could return to the crazy streets of 1590s London, to hear the "pratling proud peasants" hawking cures in the market.

Not What I Expected

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I love Deborah's work but this was not what I expected. I couldn't even finish listening. I'm so disappointed.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The historical aspects are interesting. The presentation is so distracting I can't even tell you what I learned.

Any additional comments?

I wish I had read the reviews first. I feel like I wasted a credit.

not what I expected

after reading all souls trilogy, this is not what I expected but I enjoy history so it was a win

Both well structured and meandering

Despite loving the topic, I found this much harder to follow, much less get into, than other science histories that focus on one or a few big names. She starts off saying this book won’t mention big names. It does mention a lot of names, though, most with dates (some of which start with a mysterious “florowit”) that get tedious in audio. As does saying “mathematics” instead of “‘math”.
However, if you can get through the foggy gestalt, the topic is well divided into sections and there is a lot of good information about the time before what most of us think of as the scientific revolution.