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Description: | The collection of about 33,000 items cover almost all aspects of the history of science from antiquity to the early 20th century, but also archaeology, maritime, medical and archives and photographs. Particularly strong in early scientific instruments to the early 18th century, the medieval period and the Renaissance with collections of astrolabes, sundials, armillary spheres, nocturnals, quadrants, calendars, astronomical compendia, early mathematical instruments including surveying, drawing, calculating, astronomy and navigation; optical instruments especially microscopes, telescopes and cameras and apparatus associated with chemistry, natural philosophy and medicine. The collection is European in scope, but also includes Islamic, Arabic, Indian and Oriental. From the 18th century onwards all areas of science are represented especially the 17th Ã-19th century microscopes, telescopes, astronomical material, cameras, early photographs and clocks. The collection of chemical glassware is rare and important.
The astrolabe collection is the largest and most important in the world; it includes European instruments from as early as the 13th century and an Islamic example from the 9th century. In total there about 12,000 items of science and industry, 3,000 archaeology items, 500 maritime and 500 medical items, 15,000 photographs, 3,000 archaeology items and 2,000 archives.
The library has about 15,000 volumes dating from 1476 to present. Antiquarian material predominates, but supplemented by modern reference works, historical monographs, offprints of historical articles, and relevant history of science journals. Also a unique reference library for the study of the history of scientific instruments that includes manuscripts, incunabula, prints, printed ephemera and early photographic material. There is important antiquarian holdings in astronomy, geometry, optics, chemistry, and physics (natural or experimental philosophy), and zoology, botany, and the medical sciences, Oxford science and the history of museums. Rarer books, many from the founder's library, include several incunabula, some interesting bindings, numerous association copies, a quantity of rare early pamphlets and runs of old scientific periodicals. | Source: | Cornucopia - Discovering UK Collections | Address: | Old Ashmolean Building
Broad Street
Oxford Oxfordshire,
OX1 3AZ | FAX: | 01865 277 288 | Telephone: | 01865 277 280 | Identifier: | oai:www.cornucopia.org.uk:4381 | Go to resource |
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