The idea I had for my thesis (and my entire paper) is about how the distribution of books in Europe during the Renaissance Era positively influenced humanity in regards to communicating knowledge, particularly in the scientific field of study.
I will most likely be using these sources:
Cheselden, William. The Anatomy of the Human Body. Printed for H. Woodfall, R, 1763.
Eisenstein, Elizabeth. The Printing Revolution in Early Modern Europe. Cambridge University Press, 1983.
Eisenstein, Elizabeth L. The Printing Revolution in Early Modern Europe (2E). Cambridge University Press, 2005.
Huff, Toby E. The Rise of Early Modern Science: Islam, China, and the West (2E). Cambridge University Press, 2003.
Natural Library of Medicine. A Catalogue of Seventeenth Century Printed Books in the National Library of Medicine. Bethesda, Md, 198.
Porter Roy. The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity. New York: W.W. Norton, 1998.
Rhodes, Dennis E. Studies in Early European Printing and Book Collecting. The Pindar Press, 1983.
Sarton, George. Appreciation of Ancient and Medieval Science During the Renaissance. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1955.
Webster, Charles. The Great Instauration: Science, Medicine and Reform. Gerald Duckworth & Co. Ltd. 1975.
That sounds like a good idea Misa. It isn't much of a thesis though. Like they were talking about yesterday, you need something that you can argue a little better. With what you have now you could present good information but your paper will probably not be very strong or convincing. If you want to still go the medicine route with your topic The Book Trade, maybe you could do something like "The facilitated trade of information made possible by the printing press brought islamic medical ideas to europe and we can still see their influence today." Or something more specific and arguable like that.
ReplyDeleteWhat about "ready access to classical scientific works stimulated and accelerated European research and discovery of medical treatments"
ReplyDeleteI would definitely try to make it more specific. This thesis could cover 10 pages or more, not a short 3-4 page essay.
ReplyDeleteAnd it sounds like to me that your original argument is one of value, whether the distribution of books was good or bad, and I don't think that is a very strong argument because not many people stand on the side that it is bad. Hopefully with narrowing hte topic you can find something more controversial.
Thanks for your input everyone!
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