Swem Library is taking some of its scientific treasures on the road. A number of its rare scientific texts, including a 1687 copy of Isaac Newton’s masterwork Principia, will be on display for a one-day exhibit in the Physics Library of Small Hall on Friday, Sept. 13 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m.
Joshua Erlich, associate professor of physics, and Ute Schechter, Warren E. Burger Archivist in Swem’s Special Collections Research Center, coordinated the exhibit as a treat for the university’s students and faculty.
“To actually see the Principia up close and personal, that is a special opportunity for students and faculty alike. This is the first glimpse that the world had of many of Newton's insights,” said Erlich.
Other scientific volumes on display will be Galileo’s Dialogo from 1710, a 1664 work of Robert Boyle, and a 1537 copy of John Holywood’s Sphera Volgare Novamente Tradotta, as well as other notable scientific works from the library’s special collections.
This is the third year that Swem has hosted the exhibit of the Principia and other scientific works.