Mark Andrews on Collecting Books about the Science and Engineering of Water
Why did I interview Mark Andrews? Because he's a fellow Canadian, he's an exceptional book collector who brings an engineer's mind to the task, and he's just published a beautiful book featuring selections from his book collection, entitled\xa0The Science and Engineering of Water; An illustrated catalogue of books and manuscripts on Italian hydraulics, 1500 - 1800; it's exemplary. Exactly the kind of thing every book collector should think about doing - in some iteration - with his/her/their own collection.\xa0\xa0 \xa0 \u200bMark's\xa0catalogue\xa0\u200bexplores\xa0the development of science and engineering through the early modern period\u200b by presenting 367 printed books, manuscripts and maps\u200b\xa0in chronological order\u200b. They\xa0highlight the relationship between the evolution of ideas and the authors who documented th\u200be\u200bse ideas. Drawing from Mark\u200b's\xa0larger collection of civil engineering\u200b titles, \u200b\u200bit's\xa0filled with\u200b illustrations and diagrams\u200b (nearly 1000),\xa0\u200bfrom books that were used as\u200b\xa0working \u200btools by\xa0Italian scientists, engineers, and builders\u200b from\xa0the early 1500s to the \u200bend of the 1700s. \xa0 \u200bTrust me. While books on Italian hydraulics may not sound exactly riveting, they are. At least, they are when Mark talks about them.\xa0