Review of Lesley B. Cormack; Steven A. Walton; John A. Schuster (Editors). "Mathematical Practitioners and the Transformation of Natural Knowledge in Early Modern Europe." Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2017.

Abstract

This collection of case studies explores interactions between scholars and craftsmen, natural philosophers and mathematical practitioners. Covering primarily sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century Britain, the volume makes occasional forays into French, Italian, and Dutch contexts. Lesser known mathematical practitioners, such as the Venetian physician-mathematician Ettore Ausonio and the London instrument maker Elias Allen, appear alongside Descartes and Galileo.<br>