Social History of Knowledge II

Peter Burke is Professor Emeritus of Cultural History at the University of Cambridge.

"A glittering cabinet of intellectual curiosities, a systematic study of the collecting, analysing, disseminating, storing, accessing, using and losing of knowledge in the western world from the mid-18th century to the 'information overload' of today ... Within this treasure chest there beats an endearingly human heart; one warms to an exemplary scholar who expresses the earnest hope that readers 'will not feel that I have contributed to information overload as well as discussing it'."History Today"In this remarkable tour de force Peter Burke paints a big picture of the history of knowledge in the West since 1750. His expert synthesis, which includes many kinds of general facts and figures, delves with nuance into counter-trends as well as trends and highlights a wealth of telling examples from a vast range of places and fields of academic and government inquiry. An invaluable guide for expert and novice alike."Ann Blair, Harvard University "Written with the ease of erudition, A Social History of Knowledge II is at once a thought-provoking essay on the character of our information age and a new cartography of its many territories. From agrochemistry to zoology, fingerprints to filing cabinets, it is encyclopedic, curious, and exhilarating to read."Daniel Rosenberg, University of Oregon

• List of Figures viAcknowledgements viiiIntroduction 1Part I Knowledge Practices 91 Gathering Knowledges 112 Analysing Knowledges 503 Disseminating Knowledges 854 Employing Knowledges 109Part II The Price of Progress 1375 Losing Knowledges 1396 Dividing Knowledges 160Part III A Social History in Three Dimensions 1857 Geographies of Knowledge 1878 Sociologies of Knowledge 2189 Chronologies of Knowledge 247Notes 276References 300Index 335