178: WINGS OF IMAGINATION: Science Books JEFF WEBER RARE BOOKS #178: Muhammad Ali said, “The man who has no imagination has no wings.” The noted writer Zora Neale Hurston is described as one who rode on the “wings of imagination.” This is everything in both science and life. Here is a selection of books that celebrates man’s thought relating to the sciences. One of the most inspired was Newton. My copy of Newton’s Opticks, 1704, is traced to its original owner Dr. Charles Bernard, himself a member of the Royal Society, the book was sold at auction in 1711, reappeared in Edinburgh and bound for the university. The book was given as a student prize by Dr. Philip Kelland, also a Fellow of the Royal Society. Eventually the copy found its way to Washington [D.C.?] by 1915. Again it disappears until 1966 when it was owned by the bookseller Jake Zeitlin. There is nothing so inspiring to a collector than an important book, especially one with a history. Books bring one closer to inspiration, and that allows the mind to soar.
How to request a print version: Available on request.
