Publisher's Synopsis
The Royal Society came into being in late November 1660, intended for the "promoting of experimental learning". This its members proposed to do by means of weekly meetings in which there should be discussion, accounts of experiments or presentation of papers, and performances of experiments. In almost every way its aims and functions were the very opposite of academic bookishness, its intention being that members should accept nothing as true but what they could see and touch. Yet within a few months Fellows were expressing their need for a library which has been maintained from the Society's earliest years.;Dr. Hall's scholarly account describes the various changes that have taken place since the library's inception over 300 years ago. She gives an account of the personalities involved and relates the more dramatic moments and the disputes which sometimes occured between librarians and officers of the Society.;The present library is not only a treasure house for historians and scientists but also provides a source of information on the Society's Fellows since 1660. In addition it is now a centre for up-to-date information on science policy in the UK and overseas, as with increasing use of modern technology, the library has been able to widen the range and use of its facilities.;This account of the history of the library and archives of the Society should be of interest to Fellows and historians of science and learning, among others.
