Key Texts of Johann Wilhelm Ritter (1776-1810) on the Science and Art of Nature

Johann Wilhelm Ritter (1776-1810) was an influential scientist of the Romantic era, acquainted with the greatest minds of his day. He made significant contributions in the fields of chemistry and galvanism, but also tested the boundaries of the sciences and the arts through a speculative thinking which placed human intellectual activity within far-reaching historical narratives. Until now, Ritter's work has remained largely unknown to an Anglophone audience. For the first time, this bilingual edition offers English translations of Ritter's work and explanatory essays of three texts - including the complete fragment project - which testify to the confluence of the scientific and aesthetic inquiry around 1800.

Review:

Holland has translated three of Ritter's works, Physics as Art . The History of Chemistry and the fascinating Fragments from the Estate of a Young Physicist . This last demonstrates both the difficulty of assigning a slot to Ritter and Holland's ability to translate the difficult prose literally while still reproducing the exuberance of Ritter's thoughts. This facing-page German and English edition should interest anyone studying the early Romantic period from any angle . Annotation (c)2010 Book News Inc. Portland, OR