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the experience of reading in Britain, from 1450 to 1945...

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Record Number: 9047


Reading Experience:

Evidence:

John Playfair to Mary Berry, from Cambridge, 28 September 1804: 'In going into a great library, it often occurs to me to take up some remarkable book, open it by chance, and observe what comes up, as the truths that are thus casually suggested to the mind often live long in the memory. To-day, in the University library, I took up a book on the history of astronomy, called "Theatrum Cometicum," that is very scarce and very famous, and opened it to try the above experiment. The chapter that turned up was "De Causis Cometarum," and the first sentence was, "Causa cometarum maxime universalis est Deus." This truism was all I had for my pains, and is the only piece of instruction that I am likely to carry away from Cambridge. Some have perhaps gone away with less.'

Century:

1800-1849

Date:

28 Sep 1804

Country:

England

Time

n/a

Place:

city: Cambridge
county: Cambridgeshire
specific address: University Library

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown


Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

John Playfair

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

n/a

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

Academic/Scientist

Religion:

unknown

Country of Origin:

Scotland

Country of Experience:

England

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

n/a


Additional Comments:

n/a



Text Being Read:

Author:

Title:

Theatrum Cometicum

Genre:

Science, Astronomy

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

read in situ


Source Information:

Record ID:

9047

Source:

Print

Author:

n/a

Editor:

Lady Theresa Lewis

Title:

Extracts of the Journals and Correspondence of Miss Berry From the Year 1783 to 1852

Place of Publication:

London

Date of Publication:

1865

Vol:

2

Page:

294

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

Lady Theresa Lewis (ed.), Extracts of the Journals and Correspondence of Miss Berry From the Year 1783 to 1852 (London, 1865), 2, p. 294, http://can-red-lec.library.dal.ca/Arts/RED/record_details.php?id=9047, accessed: 29 March 2024


Additional Comments:

None

   
   
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