JF Ptak Science Books Post 1902 Part of the History of Lines series
This work was one of the early best-sellers from the time of the Incunabula, a book that went into 33 editions between 1475 and 1500, and into five different languages, and a number of different authors/annotators and publishers--a book with a very full publishing history. The Fasiculus temporum, by Werner Rolevinck (a Monk and renowned historian at Cologne, 1425-1502), and printed originally in 1474, is an early history reaching back to the Roman times, and perhaps one of the very earliest chronological histories. It was a compendium of reaches into dim dust, histories including plagues, epidemics, diseases, monsters and other interesting bits.
It was also illustrated; some of the woodcuts were used several times in the course of the book; many were quite interesting. For example, the image above, showing the storming and siege of a town, features the normal allotment of soldiers, plus--extraordinarily--a cannon.
What brings us to the History of Lines series is that the structure of the book is very impressive--and complex. It must have been quite a chore to set into type, as the text lines vary impressively--that, and the chronological nature of the work has text running normally, and then top-to-bottom, occasionally upside down, and then quite frequently in circles. Anyone with any experience in letterpress printing could quickly appreciate the effort it took to put this book into print.
And another:
And this:
And speaking of printing and publishing, there was also this in the book, a deep appreciation for the new printing medium:
"This is the art of arts, the science of sciences, through the swift practice of which the valuable treasures of wisdom and of knowledge, instinctively desired by all men, leap as it were from the deep shadows of their hiding places, and enrich and illuminate this world in its evil state. The unlimited virtue of books which formerly in Athens or Paris and the other schools or sacred libraries was made known to a very few students is now spread by this discovery to every tribe, people, nation, and language everywhere..." --From Virginia Moscrip's article, "Werner Rolewinck's Fasciclus temproum, " appearing here.
"The cause of human wickedness, learned men show, is of many forms; among them, not the least is the fact that parents do not bring up their children under discipline, hut allow them abundant means to satisfy their desires. So self-indulgence when it has passed from custom into character cannot feel fear or shame. Then the neck becomes hard, until it is worn down and softened by poverty, wars, toil, and other tribulations. Therefore he who does not chastise his sons prepares a whip for himself."
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