{"product_id":"a-man-of-misconceptions-the-life-of-an-eccentric-in-an-age-of-change-9781594631894","title":"A Man of Misconceptions: The Life of an Eccentric in an Age of Change","description":"\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eScientific American \u003c\/i\u003eBest Science Book of 2012 \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn Atlantic Wire Best Book of 2012\u003cbr\u003eA \u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e \"Editor's Choice\"\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe \"fascinating\" (\u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e) story of Athanasius Kircher, the eccentric scholar-inventor who was either a great genius or a crackpot . . . or a bit of both.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe interests of Athanasius Kircher, the legendary seventeenth-century priest-scientist, knew no bounds. From optics to music to magnetism to medicine, he offered up inventions and theories for everything, and they made him famous across Europe. His celebrated museum in Rome featured magic lanterns, speaking statues, the tail of a mermaid, and a brick from the Tower of Babel. Holy Roman Emperors were his patrons, popes were his friends, and in his spare time he collaborated with the Baroque master Bernini. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBut Kircher lived during an era of radical transformation, in which the old approach to knowledge--what he called the \"art of knowing\"-- was giving way to the scientific method and modern thought. \u003ci\u003eA Man of Misconceptions \u003c\/i\u003etraces the rise, success, and eventual fall of this fascinating character as he attempted to come to terms with a changing world. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWith humor and insight, John Glassie returns Kircher to his rightful place as one of history's most unforgettable figures.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Riverhead Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/05\/2013\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781594631894\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 352\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.60lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.20h x 5.40w x 0.90d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e 12\/29\/2013 pg. 20\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"John Glassie","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45418971660469,"sku":"9781594631894","price":20.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_fed0aa4a-a96d-4e95-80d4-22cd95283965.jpg?v=1748390446","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/a-man-of-misconceptions-the-life-of-an-eccentric-in-an-age-of-change-9781594631894","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}