An encyclopedic spirit beyond the Encyclopedia

Description

TORLAIS (Jean). Réaumur: an encyclopedic spirit beyond the Encyclopédie. Based on unpublished documents. Desclée De Brouwer, 1936, small 8vo, 447 pp., includes a portrait of Réaumur and 10 plates of engravings, references, index, paperback, (cover worn). Rene-Antoine Ferchault de Reaumur (1683-1757) is renowned as a biologist, entomologist, inventor, metallurgist, naturalist, and physicist. The most striking characteristic of Réaumur's work is his complete objectivity. The investigative method that inspired him significantly differs from that of contemporary researchers. This work is an important study by Dr. Jean Torlais, a prominent historian of 18th-century science. This beautiful monograph is rightly regarded as the primary reference work on Réaumur and will continue to be read and consulted with profit by those interested in the science of the first half of the 18th century and the scientific milieu of this period.