Plague and print in the Netherlands: a short-title catalogue of publications in the University Library of Amsterdam

pivotal position of vision in the relationship between man and the external world. The interpretation and understanding of vision has attracted metaphysical and aesthetic, as well as scientific, epistemological and medical interest. Commentators quoted on a particular topic thus range widely: the section on colour contrast, for example, includes extracts from Ptolemy, Ibn al-Haytham, Leonardo da Vinci, Robert Boyle, Goethe, Johannes Muller and MichelEugene Chevreul. Wade's coverage of binocularity is particularly interesting, drawing on discussions of the nature of the pathways from the eye to the brain, single and double vision, eye dominance and contour rivalry. Despite the early appreciation of retinal disparity and binocular single vision, the theoretical link came only with Charles Wheatstone in the mid-nineteenth century, with the insight that singleness of vision did not preclude depth perception on the basis of retinal disparity. Wade presents an accessible account of the various theoretical positions, and the survey of binocularity is enlivened by the inclusion of some of the delightful Rubens frontispieces from Aguilonius' Opticorum libri sex (1613). The juxtaposition of diverse perspectives and presentation of a broad chronological range can be stimulating, but has some limitations for historical interpretation. Wade acknowledges that his commentators were not necessarily aware of their predecessors in the field, and in a work of this scale it is not practicable to present the background and concerns of each author. However, the book's thematic ordering does result in mixing very different discourses and contexts, and a sometimes "whiggish" sense of the development of scientific understanding. A natural history of vision offers a wide range of fascinating material on sight and optics, both textual and illustrative. As Wade acknowledges, the texts are necessarily selective and in many cases are given in translation, though with sources clearly cited. In some places diagrams are separated from their associated text by a few pages, and would benefit from a cross-reference. Wade includes an extensive bibliography and comprehensive subject and name indices. These, together with the clear thematic overviews and the richness of the quoted texts, make A natural history of vision a valuable source book for anybody with an interest in vision and its interpretative history, whether from a medical, philosophical or psychological perspective.