Mirror

A History of the Human Love Affair with Reflection

By: Mark Pendergrast

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Paperback | 18 August 2004 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Paperback
404 Pages

Edition Type
New edition

Dimensions(cm)
23.5 x 15.88 x 2.54

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Of all human inventions, the mirror is perhaps the one most closely connected to our own consciousness. As our first technology for contemplation of the self, the mirror is arguably as important an invention as the wheel. Mirror Mirror is the fascinating story of the mirror's invention, refinement, and use in an astonishing range of human activities -- from the fantastic mirrored rooms that wealthy Romans created for their orgies to the mirror's key role in the use and understanding of light. Pendergrast spins tales of the 2,500year mystery of whether Archimedes and his "burning mirror" really set faraway Roman ships on fire; the medieval Venetian glassmakers, who perfected the technique of making large, flat mirrors from clear glass and for whom any attempt to leave their cloistered island was punishable by death; Isaac Newton, whose experiments with sunlight on mirrors once left him blinded for three days; the artist David Hockney, who holds controversial ideas about Renaissance artists and their use of optical devices; and George Ellery Hale, the manic-depressive astronomer and telescope enthusiast who inspired (and gave his name to) the twentieth century's largest ground-based telescope. Like mirrors themselves, Mirror Mirror is a book of endless wonder and fascination.

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You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction History General & World History Engineering & Technology Technology in General Nanotechnology Self-Help, Personal Development & Practical Advice Popular Psychology Science Science in General Popular Science History of Science

Inventions & Inventors

Introduction	p. ix
The Mirror of the Soul	p. 1
Magic Visions	p. 29
Fields of Light	p. 53
The Rational Mirror	p. 81
Looking-Glass Literature	p. 115
A New Way of Seeing	p. 131
Grasping the Universe	p. 159
Kaleidoscopic Light Waves	p. 187
Big Eye	p. 217
The Vanity Business	p. 247
Celestial Radios, Divine X-Rays	p. 263
Beyond Palomar	p. 291
Final Reflections: Illusions and Realities	p. 331
Notes on Sources	p. 371
List of Interviews	p. 382
Acknowledgments	p. 387
Illustration Permissions and Credits	p. 389
Index	p. 395
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Mirror

A History of the Human Love Affair with Reflection

At a Glance

Paperback

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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