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
Timen/a
Place:city: Cambridge
county: Cambridgeshire
specific address: University Library
(Reader):
silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
(Listener):
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
Reader / Listener / Reading Group:
Reader: 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 Detailsn/a
Provenanceread in situ
Source Information:
Record ID:9047
Source: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://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=9047, accessed: 28 September 2024
Additional Comments:
None