Bookwheel: Difference between revisions
m Fixing citation |
|||
| (2 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown) | |||
| Line 4: | Line 4: | ||
==History and design== |
==History and design== |
||
[[File:Agostino Ramelli from Diverse et artificiose machine cropped.jpg|thumb|125px|left|Agostino Ramelli]]The bookwheel as it usually appears was invented by Italian [[military engineering|military engineer]] [[Agostino Ramelli]] in 1588, presented as one of the 195 designs in ''Le diverse et artificiose machine del Capitano Agostino Ramelli'' (''The various and ingenious machines of Captain Agostino Ramelli'').<ref name="Brashear">Brashear, Ronald. [http://www.sil.si.edu/ondisplay/ramelli/intro.htm Ramelli's Machines: Original drawings of the 16th century machines]. Smithsonian Libraries.</ref> To ensure that the books remained at a constant angle, Ramelli incorporated an [[epicyclic gearing]] arrangement, a complex device that had only previously been used in [[astronomical clock]]s. Ramelli's design is unnecessarily elaborate, as he likely understood that [[Gravitation|gravity]] could have worked just as effectively (as it does with a [[Ferris wheel]], invented centuries later), but the gearing system allowed him to display his mathematical prowess.<ref name="Rybczynski">Rybczynski, Witold. ''One Good Turn: A Natural History of the Screwdriver and the Screw |
[[File:Agostino Ramelli from Diverse et artificiose machine cropped.jpg|thumb|125px|left|Agostino Ramelli]]The bookwheel as it usually appears was invented by Italian [[military engineering|military engineer]] [[Agostino Ramelli]] in 1588, presented as one of the 195 designs in ''Le diverse et artificiose machine del Capitano Agostino Ramelli'' (''The various and ingenious machines of Captain Agostino Ramelli'').<ref name="Brashear">Brashear, Ronald. [http://www.sil.si.edu/ondisplay/ramelli/intro.htm "Ramelli's Machines: Original drawings of the 16th century machines"]. Smithsonian Libraries.</ref> To ensure that the books remained at a constant angle, Ramelli incorporated an [[epicyclic gearing]] arrangement, a complex device that had only previously been used in [[astronomical clock]]s. Ramelli's design is unnecessarily elaborate, as he likely understood that [[Gravitation|gravity]] could have worked just as effectively (as it does with a [[Ferris wheel]], invented centuries later), but the gearing system allowed him to display his mathematical prowess.<ref name="Rybczynski">Rybczynski, Witold. ''One Good Turn: A Natural History of the Screwdriver and the Screw''. Scribner, 2000.</ref> While other people would go on to build bookwheels based on Ramelli's design, Ramelli did not in fact ever construct his own.<ref name="garber">Garber, Megan. [http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/02/behold-the-kindle-of-the-16th-century/273577/ "Behold, the Kindle of the 16th Century"]. ''The Atlantic''. Published 27 February 2013.</ref> |
||
To what extent bookwheels were appreciated for their convenience versus their [[aesthetic]] qualities remains a matter of speculation according to [[Henry Petroski]]. Ramelli himself described the bookwheel as a "beautiful and ingenious machine, very useful and convenient for anybody who takes pleasure in study, especially for those who are indisposed and tormented by [[gout]]." Ramelli's reference to gout, a condition that impairs mobility, demonstrates the appeal of a device that allows access to several books while seated. However, Petroski notes that Ramelli's illustration lacks space for writing and other scholarly work, and that the "fanciful wheel" may not have been appropriate for any activity beyond reading.<ref name="Petroski">Petroski, Henry. ''The Book on the Book Shelf''. Knopf, 1999.</ref> |
To what extent bookwheels were appreciated for their convenience versus their [[aesthetic]] qualities remains a matter of speculation according to [[Henry Petroski]]. Ramelli himself described the bookwheel as a "beautiful and ingenious machine, very useful and convenient for anybody who takes pleasure in study, especially for those who are indisposed and tormented by [[gout]]." Ramelli's reference to gout, a condition that impairs mobility, demonstrates the appeal of a device that allows access to several books while seated. However, Petroski notes that Ramelli's illustration lacks space for writing and other scholarly work, and that the "fanciful wheel" may not have been appropriate for any activity beyond reading.<ref name="Petroski">Petroski, Henry. ''The Book on the Book Shelf''. Knopf, 1999.</ref> |
||
While the design of the bookwheel is commonly credited to Ramelli, some historians dispute that he was the first to invent such a device. [[Joseph Needham]], a historian of [[History of science and technology in China|Chinese technology]], stated that revolving bookcases, though not vertically oriented, had their origins in China "perhaps a thousand years before Ramelli's design was taken there." |
While the design of the bookwheel is commonly credited to Ramelli, some historians dispute that he was the first to invent such a device. [[Joseph Needham]], a historian of [[History of science and technology in China|Chinese technology]], stated that revolving bookcases, though not vertically oriented, had their origins in China "perhaps a thousand years before Ramelli's design was taken there."<ref name="Petroski" /> |
||
==Influence and legacy== |
==Influence and legacy== |
||
The bookwheel was an early attempt to solve the problem of managing [[Global spread of the printing press|increasingly numerous printed works]], which were typically large and heavy in Ramelli's time.<ref name="garber" /> It has been called one of the earliest "information retrieval" devices,<ref name="Norman">Norman, Jeremy. [http://www.historyofinformation.com/expanded.php?id=1560 "Renaissance Information Retrieval Device |
The bookwheel was an early attempt to solve the problem of managing [[Global spread of the printing press|increasingly numerous printed works]], which were typically large and heavy in Ramelli's time.<ref name="garber" /> It has been called one of the earliest "information retrieval" devices,<ref name="Norman">Norman, Jeremy. [http://www.historyofinformation.com/expanded.php?id=1560 "Renaissance Information Retrieval Device"]. HistoryofInformation.com.</ref> and has been considered a precursor to modern technologies, such as [[hypertext]] and [[e-reader]]s, that allow readers to store and cross-reference large amounts of information.<ref name="garber" /> Other inventors, such as [[Nicolas Grollier de Servière]], proposed their own variations on Ramelli's design. |
||
In contemporary times, the bookwheel is valued for its historical importance, decorative appeal, and symbolic significance. Ramelli's design has been recreated by artists such as [[Daniel Libeskind]],<ref name="allen">Allen, Greg. [http://greg.org/archive/2010/09/20/on_the_making_of_the_lost_biennale_machines_of_daniel_libeskind.html "On The Making Of The Lost Biennale Machines Of Daniel Libeskind |
In contemporary times, the bookwheel is valued for its historical importance, decorative appeal, and symbolic significance. Ramelli's design has been recreated by artists such as [[Daniel Libeskind]],<ref name="allen">Allen, Greg. [http://greg.org/archive/2010/09/20/on_the_making_of_the_lost_biennale_machines_of_daniel_libeskind.html "On The Making Of The Lost Biennale Machines Of Daniel Libeskind"]. Greg.org.</ref> and inspired the name of the [[Smithsonian Library]]'s blog "Turning the Book Wheel".<ref name="smithsonian">[http://smithsonianlibraries.tumblr.com/post/54913999165/did-we-ever-mention-that-we-actually-constructed-a Blog post]. Smithsonian Library.</ref> |
||
==Image gallery== |
==Image gallery== |
||
| Line 25: | Line 25: | ||
==External links== |
==External links== |
||
*[http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php/Ramelli%27s_Bookwheel "Ramelli's Bookwheel |
*[http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php/Ramelli%27s_Bookwheel "Ramelli's Bookwheel"], history and commentary from New York University's Department of Media, Culture, and Communication |
||
*[http://www.in-the-fields.org/?ha_exhibit=drifts-through-debris |
*[http://www.in-the-fields.org/?ha_exhibit=drifts-through-debris ''drifts through debris''], an art installation inspired by Ramelli's design |
||
==References== |
==References== |
||
Revision as of 04:20, 26 January 2015
The bookwheel (also spelled book wheel and sometimes called a reading wheel) is a type of rotating bookcase designed to allow one person to read a variety of heavy books in one location with ease. The books are rotated vertically similar to the motion of a water wheel, as opposed to rotating on a flat table surface.
History and design
The bookwheel as it usually appears was invented by Italian military engineer Agostino Ramelli in 1588, presented as one of the 195 designs in Le diverse et artificiose machine del Capitano Agostino Ramelli (The various and ingenious machines of Captain Agostino Ramelli).[1] To ensure that the books remained at a constant angle, Ramelli incorporated an epicyclic gearing arrangement, a complex device that had only previously been used in astronomical clocks. Ramelli's design is unnecessarily elaborate, as he likely understood that gravity could have worked just as effectively (as it does with a Ferris wheel, invented centuries later), but the gearing system allowed him to display his mathematical prowess.[2] While other people would go on to build bookwheels based on Ramelli's design, Ramelli did not in fact ever construct his own.[3]
To what extent bookwheels were appreciated for their convenience versus their aesthetic qualities remains a matter of speculation according to Henry Petroski. Ramelli himself described the bookwheel as a "beautiful and ingenious machine, very useful and convenient for anybody who takes pleasure in study, especially for those who are indisposed and tormented by gout." Ramelli's reference to gout, a condition that impairs mobility, demonstrates the appeal of a device that allows access to several books while seated. However, Petroski notes that Ramelli's illustration lacks space for writing and other scholarly work, and that the "fanciful wheel" may not have been appropriate for any activity beyond reading.[4]
While the design of the bookwheel is commonly credited to Ramelli, some historians dispute that he was the first to invent such a device. Joseph Needham, a historian of Chinese technology, stated that revolving bookcases, though not vertically oriented, had their origins in China "perhaps a thousand years before Ramelli's design was taken there."[4]
Influence and legacy
The bookwheel was an early attempt to solve the problem of managing increasingly numerous printed works, which were typically large and heavy in Ramelli's time.[3] It has been called one of the earliest "information retrieval" devices,[5] and has been considered a precursor to modern technologies, such as hypertext and e-readers, that allow readers to store and cross-reference large amounts of information.[3] Other inventors, such as Nicolas Grollier de Servière, proposed their own variations on Ramelli's design.
In contemporary times, the bookwheel is valued for its historical importance, decorative appeal, and symbolic significance. Ramelli's design has been recreated by artists such as Daniel Libeskind,[6] and inspired the name of the Smithsonian Library's blog "Turning the Book Wheel".[7]
Image gallery
-
Nicolas Grollier de Servière's "reading wheel," intended to improve on Ramelli's design. -
A replica of Ramelli's design created for the Smithsonian Library.
-
A bookwheel made in oak. On display in Herzog August Library.
External links
- "Ramelli's Bookwheel", history and commentary from New York University's Department of Media, Culture, and Communication
- drifts through debris, an art installation inspired by Ramelli's design
References
- ^ Brashear, Ronald. "Ramelli's Machines: Original drawings of the 16th century machines". Smithsonian Libraries.
- ^ Rybczynski, Witold. One Good Turn: A Natural History of the Screwdriver and the Screw. Scribner, 2000.
- ^ a b c Garber, Megan. "Behold, the Kindle of the 16th Century". The Atlantic. Published 27 February 2013.
- ^ a b Petroski, Henry. The Book on the Book Shelf. Knopf, 1999.
- ^ Norman, Jeremy. "Renaissance Information Retrieval Device". HistoryofInformation.com.
- ^ Allen, Greg. "On The Making Of The Lost Biennale Machines Of Daniel Libeskind". Greg.org.
- ^ Blog post. Smithsonian Library.